•lULii  1891 


I 


LIBRARY  OF  THE  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY 


PRINCETON,     N.     J. 


BV  2390  .C66  1886 

Conference  on  Foreign 

Missions  (1886  : 

Proceedings  of  the 

Conference  on  Foreian 

! 


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• 


PROCEEDINGS    /^Wm^ 


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The  Conference  on 


p  9.7 
Logical  s 


Foreign  Missions 


THE    CONFERENCE    HALL,    MILDMAY    PARK, 
LONDON,   OCTOBER   5TH  to  7TH,  1886 


attests  rcbisctJ  bj? 
THE     VARIOUS     SPEAKERS 


LONDON 
JOHN   F.  SHAW  &  CO.,  48,  PATERNOSTER  ROW,  E.C. 

1886 


ILM.ot 


J^p' 


CONTENTS. 


Page 

Introduction                         .                 .                 .                 ...  1 

Preliminary  Prayer  Meeting               .                 .                 ...  5 

Address  by  Mr.  J.  E.  Mathieson          .                .  5 

„         Mr.  R.  Radclipfe                .                ...  6 

THE  JEWS  AND   THE  MOHAMMEDANS. 

Address  by  the  Chairman,  the  Earl  of  Cavan                .  7 

Israel's  Rightful  Place.     By  Rev.  J.  Wilkinson              .  9 

Mohammedans  of  North -West  India.     By  Rev.  A.  W.  Baumann        .  23 

The  Mohammedans  of  North  Africa.     By  Mr.  E.  H.  Glenny      .         .  28 


WOMAN'S   WORK. 

Woman's  Ministry.     By  Mr.  C.  H.  Judd 

The  Women  of  China.     By  Miss  Ricketts 

Women  of  Syria.     By  Miss  Poulton 

South  African  Work.     By  Mrs.  Osborn 

Women's  Work  on  the  Continent  of  Europe.     By  Mrs.  G.  James 

THE   CONTINENT   OF  EUROPE. 


MEDICAL   MISSIONS. 

Scriptural  Warrant  for  Medical  Missions.     By  Dr.  W.  Gauld 

A  Home  Medical  Mission.     By  Dr.  T.  Crabbe 

Indian  Medical  Missions.     By  Dr.  W.  Carey  . 

The  Jews  in  Borne.     By  Dr.  D.  Young 

Medical  Missions  in  China.     By  Dr.  J.  L.  Maxwell 


31 
36 
43 

48 
51 


White  Fields  of  France.     By  Mons.  R.  Saillens             .  55 

The  Hand  of  God  in  Russia.     By  Colonel  Pashkoff       .  62 

Russia  and  Germany.     By  Dr.  Baedeker        .                .  68 

Obedience  and  Blessing.     By  Mr.  R.  Radcliffe                .  73 

HEATHEN  LANDS:    INDIA   AND    CHINA. 

Indian  Missions.     By  Major-General  Sir  R.  Phayre,  K.C.S.I.    .  .       76 
Personal  Observations  in  India.     By  Mr.  A.  H.  L.  Fraser,  G.C.M.G.        87 

China  as  a  Mission- Field.     By  Rev.  C.  G.  Moore            .  94 

A  Review  of  the  Field  in  China.     By  Rev.  D.  Mac  Iver              .  .     100 


108 
112 
119 
124 

128 


IV 


Contents. 


HEATHEN  LANDS:    AFRICA. 


The  Great  Dark  Continent. 
Africa's  Woes  and  Wants. 
Neiv  Zealand  and  Japan. 


By  Mr.  Grattan  Guinness 
By  Mr.  J.  W.  Mom 
By  Mr.  W.  Blakeney,  R.N.  . 

BIBLE   LANDS. 


Muhnwnii'ihi,)  mill  Ilihh:  L-nvh.     By  Mr.  E.  STOCK 

Work  in  Palestine.     By  Rev.  C.  T.  Wilson     .  .  .        . 

Missions  in  Turkey.     By  Rev.  C.  II.  Brookes 

Work  in  Spain.    By  Mr.  T.  Blamire  .  . 

A   DISMISSAL  SERVICE. 

Encouragement  for  Labourers.     By  Major-General  Haig 
True  Zenana  Missionaries.     By  Rev.  Canon  Hoare 

THE  UNITED  KINGDOM  AND  THE  COLONIES. 

The  Church's  Business.     By  Mr.  R.  Paton        .  .  .        . 

The  Work  of  To-Day.     By  Mr.  C.  R.  Hurditch 
God's  Instruments.     By  Rev.  F.  B.  Meyer        .  ... 

A  Call  to  the  Churches.     By  Mr.  R.  Radcliffe 


I'v.r. 

135 
143 
149 


156 
L61 
L67 
173 


177 

181 


187 
L90 
198 

205 


MISSIONARY  INTELLIGENCE  AND  REGISTRATION. 

A  Felt  Want.     By  Mr.  J.  E.  Mathieson         .  .  .     210 

Explanation  of  the  Plan.     By  Mr.  H.  W.  Fry  .  .         .211 

THE   PRAISE  MEETING. 


Address  by  Mr.  R.  Radcliffe 

.     223 

„          Mr.  J.  E.  Mathieson     . 

.     224 

APPENDICES. 

a,  A  Century  of  Protestant  Missions 

.     225 

b.  Address  at  Exeter  Hall,  Farewell  Meeting,  18S5 

.     233 

Warnings  and  Hints  I'm-  Intending  Missionaries   . 

.     238 

The  Age  of  Opportunity 

. 

The  World  Open  to  the  Gospel 

.     240 

Who  will  Go?          .... 

.     241 

"Men  with  whom  it  is  a  Passion  to  Save  Men"  . 

.     242 

c.    India                                 .... 

.     243 

d.  The  French  Colonists  of  Algeria 

.     246 

e.   Italy                                 .... 

.     247 

/.    Savoy                               .... 

.     248 

g.  Spain                              .... 

.     249 

h.  Havre                                .... 

.     251 

MISSIONARY  CONFERENCE. 


INTRODUCTION. 

Our  Autumnal  Conference  proved  a  happy  season  of  fellowship, 
and  of  intense  interest  to  the  friends  of  Missions  gathered  at 
Mildmay.  Seldom  have  there  been  crowded  into  three  days  such 
varied,  bright,  and  graphic  pictures  of  the  work  of  God  in  many 
lands ;  or  more  scriptural  incentives  to  seek  the  good  of  Israel, 
and  to  follow  the  Master's  example  as  the  healer,  as  well  as  the 
bringer  of  good  tidings.  "Woman's  work  was  nobly  represented ; 
and  at  one  or  two  of  our  evening  meetings  the  Lord  was  with  us 
in  humbling  power — notably  when  the  overwhelming  needs  of 
Africa  were  laid  before  us,  and  again  as  we  were  brought  face  to 
face  with  the  dreadful  sins,  errors,  and  unbelief  of  our  own 
beloved  country.  The  closing  meeting  for  consecration  was  a 
sweet  and  solemn  season ;  and  we  believe  full  surrender  was  made 
by  many  hearts  to  the  Master's  call,  and  that  blessings  may  reach 
the  ends  of  the  earth  as  a  result  of  our  gatherings.   Amen. 

The  letter  of  invitation  to  the  Conference  was  as  follows : 

Beloved  Christian  Friends,  —  Eight  years  ago,  following  a 
Spring  Conference  on  the  Second  Coming  of  our  Lord  and  the  usual 
Midsummer  Meetings,  there  was  held  at  Mildmay  an  important 
Conference  on  Foreign  Missions  in  the  month  of  October,  the 
record  of  which*  embraces  a  vast  amount  of  information  and 
instruction,  the  utterances  of  honoured  missionaries  from  all  parts 
of  the  mission-field. 

Following  this  precedent — having  met  here  in  March  last  to 


*  Reports  of  these  and  other  Mildmay  Conferences  may  still  be  had  of 
John  F.  Shaw  &  Co.,  48,  Paternoster  Row. 

B 


2  Missionary  Conference. 

consider  "  things  that  shall  come  to  pass  "  *  in  connection  with  the 
pre-millennial  return  of  our  Lord  and  Saviour,  and  having  again 
gathered  at  Midsummer  to  hear  most  blessed  counsel  concerning 
the  believer's  "separation  unto  God"* — we  cordially  invite  you 
to  a  third  Conference  this  year,  on  5th,  6th,  and  7th  October,  to 
contemplate  the  subject  of 

WORLD-WIDE   EVANGELIZATION. 

Our  objects  in  this  Conference  may  not  be  exactly  parallel  to 
those  which  were  in  the  minds  of  the  promoters  of  the  Conference 
on  Foreign  Missions  in  1878;  nor  can  we  attempt  to  secure  the 
presence  of  dear  brethren  from  so  many  mission -fields  as  were 
represented  on  that  occasion ;  but  we  approach  the  consideration 
of  the  subject  with  certain  advantages  which  were  not  attainable 
eight  years  ago,  and  with  the  conviction  that  the  meetings  we 
have  in  view  will  not  be  less  interesting  or  profitable  than  those 
which  were  held  at  that  period. 

We  are  witnessing  a  wide-spread  and  greatly-deepened  interest 
amongst  the  quickened  and  revived  people  of  God  in  the  efforts 
to  "preach  the  gospel  to  every  creature:"  we  may  assume  that 
there  is  more  definiteness  of  aim  and  expectation  in  the  minds  of 
those  who  pray  and  work  for  the  extension  of  Christ's  kingdom 
on  earth,  as  to  the  results  infallibly  following  the  faithful  preaching 
of  the  word  of  God  hi  this  dispensation ;  more  confidence  in  the 
mighty  co-operation  of  His  Holy  Spirit ;  less  surprise  at  apparent 
failure ;  and  alongside  of  these  benefits  Ave  behold — in  some 
quarters  at  least — the  manifestation  of  a  spirit  of  consecration  in 
service,  and  the  yielding  up  of  everything  to  Christ,  of  the  most 
hopeful  augury.  And  all  this  at  an  epoch  in  the  world's  history 
when  vast  populations  are  opened  up  to  us  through  modern 
exploration ;  when  the  hitherto  closed  doors  are  being  rapidly 
unlocked ;  when  great  distances  are  being  bridged  over  by  rapid 
and  cheap  transit ;  and  the  Holy  Scriptures  are  in  process  of 
translation  into  new  languages  every  year.  There  is  probably  now 
more  co-operation  than  formerly  on  the  part  of  workers  in  the 
same  mission-fields,  and  a  more  ready  appreciation  of  other  men's 
labours,  through  increased  knowledge  of  their  single-eyed  aims 
and  God-bestowed  successes.  For  all  these  blessings  let  us  praise 
and  magnify  the  great  Head  of  the  Church. 


*  Reports  of  these  and  other  Mildmay  Conferences  may  still  bo  had  of 
John  F.  Shaw  &  Co.,  48,  Paternoster  Row. 


Introduction.  3 

But  what  remains  to  be  accomplished  1  Ah  !  here  we  come 
to  the  place  at  which  such  a  Conference  ought  rightly  to  begin — 
the  place  of  deep  humiliation  before  God,  that,  after  eighteen 
hundred  years,  such  a  vast  portion  of  the  globe  still  remains  under 
the  black  shadow  of  heathenism.  Shall  we  therefore  meet  on  the 
day  preceding  the  days  of  Conference  for  confession  and  prayer  ? 
May  it  not  prove  the  occasion  for  the  Lord  to  lift  upon  us  the 
light  of  His  countenance,  and  bestow  a  spirit  of  wisdom  and 
revelation,  in  the  knowledge  of  His  will  concerning  the  work 
which  remains  for  His  Church  to  accomplish  in  the  earth  1 

There  is  not  only  the  command,  "Go  ye  into  all  the  world, 
and  preach  the  gospel  to  every  creature"  (Mark  xvi.  15) ;  but  this 
also,  "Tarry  ....  until  ye  be  endued  with  power  from  on  high." 
(Luke  xxiv.  49.)  There  is  not  only  the  enquiry,  "Whom  shall  I 
send,  and  who  will  go  for  us?"  (Isaiah  vi.  8);  there  is  also  the 
warning,  "  I  sent  not  these  prophets,  yet  they  ran ;  I  spake  not  to 
them,  yet  they  prophesied."  (Jeremiah  xxiii.  21.)  Bearing  these 
things  in  mind,  we  welcome  the  gratifying  evidence  of  a  ready 
mind  in  very  many  of  the  Lord's  dear  children  to  go  forth  to  any 
part  of  the  field  He  may  point  them  to ;  and  we  would  wait 
upon  Him  that  He  would  likewise  supply  the  necessary  means. 
(2  Corinthians  ix.  7-10.) 

The  full  programme  for  the  three  days'  Conference  will  appear 
through  the  usual  channels  shortly  before  the  dates  we  have  now 
announced ;  and  we  ask  your  prayers  throughout  the  intervening 
weeks  for  guidance  in  all  the  details  of  the  Conference,  and  for 
abundant  blessing  if  we  are  permitted  then  to  gather.  "Ask  ye  of 
the  Lord  rain  in  the  time  of  the  latter  rain ;  so  the  Lord  shall  make 
bright  clouds,  and  give  them  showers  of  rain."  (Zechariah  x.  1.) 

We  remain,  yours  affectionately  in  Christ  Jesus, 

S.  A.  Blackwood,  A.  E.  Pennefather, 

Cavan,  J.  H.  Tritton, 

J.  E.  Mathieson,  E.  Trotter, 

H.  C.  jSTisbet, 

Trustees  of  the  Conference  Hall. 


Conference  Hall,  Mildmay  Park, 
London,  N.,  July,  18S6. 


B  2 


PRELIMINARY  PRAYER  MEETING. 

Monday  Evening,  October  4£h,  1886. 


The  Conference  was  preceded  by  special  meetings  for  prayer, 
held  on  Monday  Forenoon  and  Evening  (October  4th).  Earl 
Cavan  having  read  Psalm  lxvii.  at  the  Evening  meeting,  prayer 
was  presented  by  the  Eev.  D.  B.  Hankin  and  Mr.  B.  Broomhall. 
The  Chairman,  Mr.  J.  Herbert  Tritton,  read  Eph.  iii.,  with  a 
few  brief  expository  comments. 

Mr.    James   E.    Mathieson   said:    A   solemn   suggestion   was  Mt.JamesE. 

,  Mathieson. 

thrown  out  at  a  meeting  held  in  the  morning,  that  in  no  part 
of  the  world  is  there  any  special  revival  of  the  Christian  religion  a  sugges- 
going  on  at  the  present  time.  We  associate  with  the  latter  part 
of  the  promise,  "  I  will  pour  water  upon  him  that  is  thirsty," 
what  we  are  accustomed  to  call  revivals  of  religion.  If  what 
was  then  stated  be  true,  it  is  a  solemn  fact,  and  no  wonder  there 
are  no  "floods  upon  the  dry  ground."  During  the  last  fifteen  or 
twenty  years  there  has  been  Conference  after  Conference,  until 
the  people  of  God  in  this  land  and  in  Scotland  are  better  in- 
structed than  ever  before  about  God's  purposes  and  will  concerning 
His  work  in  the  world;  but  are  they  more  obedient?  We  need 
to  press  home  upon  Christian  people,  for  the  purpose  of  self- 
consecration,  the  thought  of  individual  responsibility.  We  hear 
little  or  nothing  of  revivals  in  Scotland,  or  England,  or  Ireland. 
Why  is  it  1  There  must  be  something  radically  wrong,  contrary  to 
the  mind  and  will  of  God,  in  our  method  of  going  to  work.  Even 
societies  which  have  been  established  only  fifteen  or  sixteen  years 
have  got  into  traditional  ways  of  working.  What  is  wanted  is  that 
men  should  go  forth,  in  the  simplicity  of  the  early  ages,  two  by  two. 
Instead  of  attempting,  by  great  organisations  alone,-  to  try  and 
convert  the  heathen  peoples,  we  must  go  back  to  apostolic  days, 
and  revise  oar  methods  by  the  plans  then  adopted.     Think  too  of 


Apostolic 
me1  hods. 


G  Preliminary  Prayer  Meeting. 

Mt.JamesB.  the  guilty  silence  imposed  on  the  laity  by  our  churches,  and  to  this 

Mathieson.  °  J  L  J      J 

hour  acquiesced  in  by  the  laity,  who  go  forth  bearing  the  Christian 
name  indeed,  though  hardly  one  in  a  thousand  ever  dreams  of 
speaking  of  Christ  to  the  people  about  Him.  Think  of  the 
guilty  silence  imposed  on  our  sisters,  and  of  the  guilt  of  the 
Church  in  connection  with  God's  ancient  people.  There  has  grown 
up  in  all  churches  a  mighty  spirit  of  traditionalism  that  nothing 
but  a  spiritual  earthquake  can  overthrow.  We  need  in  all  our 
churches  to  reconsider  our  ways,  and  throw  away  a  great  deal  of 
rubbish  before  much  progress  can  be  made. 


Our  first 
business. 


Reginald  ^v'  ^eginald  Radcliffe  said :  It  is  a  fact,  if  we  look  at  the 
Radcliffe.  accounts  of  missionary  work  from  all  parts  of  the  world,  whether 
from  China,  or  India,  or  European  countries,  we  see  nothing  at  all 
like  the  flood  that  took  place  in  America  in  1863.  There  was  a 
wonderful  flood  at  Pentecost,  and  afterwards  there  was  flood 
upon  flood.  God  is  the  God  of  floods,  and  it  is  as  easy  for  Him 
to  move  a  city  or  a  province  as  two  or  three  souls.  Our  first 
business  is  to  humble  ourselves  before  God,  and  then  to  strike 
home  among  the  millions  living  without  God  in  the  world.  Let 
us  bear  up  before  God  the  missionaries  in  India,  China,  and  Africa, 
and  in  many  a  solitary  place  where  they  cannot  gather  a  company 
like  this  to  cheer  them.  Let  us  not  doubt  that  God  will  pour  out  a 
blessing  not  only  upon  ourselves,  but  upon  those  for  whom  we 
plead. 

Mr.  Radcliffe  concluded  with  earnest  prayer,  and  was  followed 
by  several  others. 


THE  JEWS  AND  THE  MOHAMMEDANS, 

Tuesday  Morning,  October  5th,  1886. 


After  a  season  of  silent  prayer,  hymn  No.  28  was  sung — 

"  Lord  of  the  living  harvest, 
That  whitens  o'er  the  plain." 

The  Rev.  D.  B.  Hankin  presented   prayer,   closing  with  the 
er  our  Lord    taught    His    disciples.      The    Chairman    read 
Ephesians  i.  15-23,  and  gave  the  following  address: 


OPENING   ADDEESS. 

JiY      THE     EARL     OF     CAVAN. 

'I'm;  vastness  of  this  subiect  which  the  Conference  is  called  to  The  earl  or 

"  ...         Oavan. 

contemplate,  1  feel  to  ho  overwhelming — world-wide  evangelization. 
Yes,  dear  friends,  one  feels  awe-struck  and  humbled  at  the  thought,  a  vast 
when  we  reflect  on  the  shortcomings  of  the  Church  of  Christ, 
how  sadly  neglectful  we  have  been  in  not  responding  to  the 
command  given  by  our  blessed  Lord — "Go  ye  into  all  the  world, 
and  preach  the  gospel  to  every  creature."  And  see  how  far  short 
we  have  come  of  that  command.  One  needs  to  be  humbled  to  Our  need, 
the  very  dust  with  the  sense  of  the  shortcoming  and  failure  of  the 
Church  of  Christ;  and  each  one  of  us  is  part  of  that  Church. 

But  oh,  what  a  blessed  thought  that  our  loving  God  is  sensible 
of  our  confession  of  sin  and  neglect !  And  it  seems  to  me  to  be 
impressed  upon  one's  mind  that  what  we  need  is  real  confession  of 
our  sins  and  shortcomings,  and  to  pour  out  that  confession  before 
God  in  true  repentance  and  sorrow  of  heart;  then  we  may 
expect  the  blessing  to  follow.  The  neglect  to  make  the  blessed  Confession 
Lord's  truth  known  all  over  the  world  I  look  upon  as  an  injury 
to  "in'  fellow-creatures,  an  injustice  done  to  them  by  the  Church 
of  Christ,    and    especially  among   the  heathen   in  heathen   lands. 


8  The  Jews  and  the  Mohammedans. 

The  Earl  of  "We  do  not  well,  this  day  is  a  day  of  glad  tidings,  and  we  have 
held  our  peace."  This  meeting  will  he  a  great  hlessing  if  we 
really,  in  the  first  instance,  truly,  humhly  confess  hefore  God, 
that  we  have  really  fallen  short  of  what  was  required  of  us,  and 
what  we  know  in  our  conscience  we  ought  to  have  acted  up  to. 

May  the  hlessing  of  God  be  present  with  us  this  morning. 
Though  it  is  now,  I  believe,  eight  years  since  we  had  a  gathering 
of  this  kind  held  in  this  hall,  yet  we  are  not  discouraged  or 
cast  down ;  but,  leaning  upon  our  blessed  Lord,  fully  assured  that 
with  true  confession  of  our  sins  we  may  appeal  unto  Him  who 
will  pour  out  the  Spirit  of  His  grace ;  for  He  is  rich  in  mercy, 

power.  and  has  manifested  His  goodness  and  mercy  anew  in  these  latter 
days,  in  moving  many  to  sound  out  in  different  parts  of  the 
world  the  gospel  of  salvation.  May  He  bless,  strengthen,  and 
sustain  them  in  their  work  and  labour  of  love ;  and  may  we  also 
have  His  presence  here  amongst  us  in  power.  In  reading  that 
portion  just  now,  one  is  reminded  that  there  is  living  power  in 
the  risen  Christ,  and  this  power  rests  upon  the  evangelists  who 
have  gone  forth  to  the  work.  Of  course  they  can  only  do  that 
which  the  Lord  enables  them  to  do.  The  Word  has  gone  forth 
into  the  waste  places  of  the  earth,  and  we  know  that  it  is  the 
word  of  the  Lord,  and  with  power.  The  Lord  is  present  with  His 
people,  and  God  is  taking  from  the  world  "a  people  for  Himself." 

Closing  As  we  are  now  approaching,  as  we  believe,  the  closing  days 

of  this  dispensation,  and  are  in  expectation  of  the  Lord's  return, 
let  us  remember  a  word  in  the  Song  of  Solomon,  which  a  dear 
servant  of  the  Lord  was  dwelling  upon  the  other  day,  and  which 
impressed  me  much.  Chapter  vi.  1-3  is  so  applicable,  to  my  mind, 
to  the  present  Gentile  dispensation,  as  probably  addressed  to  the 
Jewish  Church:  "Whither  is  thy  Beloved  gone,  O  thou  fairest 
among  women1?  whither  is  thy  Beloved  turned  aside?  that  wo 
may  seek  Him  with  thee.  My  Beloved  is  gone  down  into  His 
garden,  to  the  beds  of  spices,  to  feed  in  the  gardens,  and  to 
gather  lilies.  I  am  my  Beloved's,  and  my  Beloved  is  mine :  He 
feedeth  among  the  lilies." 

"  Turned  aside  "  from  His  own  Jewish  people  ;  "  turned  aside," 
I  believe,  to  visit  the  Gentiles;  gone  down  into  His  garden 
to  feed  therein.  I  believe  wherever  the  Lord's  people  are  truly 
in  the  Spirit,  there  the  Lord  has  gone  down  gathering  out  from 
amongst  them  lilies  much  more  glorious  than  the  glories  of 
Solomon,  for  they  are  clothed  with  the  righteousness  of  Christ. 


Israel's  Rightful  Place.  9 

He  is  feeding  amongst  us:  He  shall  "sup  with  me,  and  I  with  The  Earl  of 

°  °  '  x  '  _        Cavan. 

Him."  Oh,  how  blessed  the  thought  of  union  with  Christ, 
of  oneness  with  our  adorable  Redeemer,  who  is  amongst  us !  and 
His  presence  should  be  felt. 

One  more  word :    "I  am  my  Beloved's,    and  my  Beloved  is  A striking 

J  '  J  _    expression. 

mine."  Now  we  have  this  expression  three  times.  Chapter  ii. 
16:  "My  Beloved  is  mine,  and  I  am  His."  In  chapter  vi.  : 
"I  am  my  Beloved's."  Then  the  third  time  is  in  chapter 
vii.  10:  "I  am  my  Beloved's,  and  His  desire  is  towards  me." 
This  is  progress.  "His  desire  is  towards  me."  His  approach 
is  near;  He  is  longing,  yearning  to  come  for  us.  May  He 
come  speedily,  and  change  these  bodies  of  our  humiliation. 
Just  one  other  verse :  "  Thou  art  beautiful,  O  my  love,  as 
Tirzah,  comely  as  Jerusalem,  terrible  as  an  army  with  banners." 
(Song  of  Solomon  vi.  10.)  Here  is  victory:  "The  kingdoms 
of  this  world  shall  become  the  kingdoms  of  our  Lord, 
and  of  His  Christ."  Let  us  live  in  closer  communion  with  the 
Lord,  and  so  be  strengthened  and  refreshed  by  His  Spirit,  and 
go  forward  advocating  His  cause.  Why,  now-a-days  we  have  got 
steam  power,  and  the  post,  and  the  press,  and  all  kinds  of  facilities 
for  advancing  the  Lord's  cause  abroad.  Let  us  make  use  of  these 
instruments,  seeking  His  guidance,  for  the  advance  of  His  king- 
dom, to  His  praise  and  glory.  May  the  Lord  manifest  His  presence 
this  morning,  so  that  practical  results  may  arise  from  our 
gathering  here. 

At  the  close  of  this  address  hymn  No.  4  was  sung — 

"  Behold  the  throne  of  grace, 
The  promise  calls  me  near  ;" 

and  the  following  address  was  given  on 


ISEAEL'S   EIGHTFUL   PLACE. 
By  Rev.  John  Wilkinson. 
The  subject  set  before  me  this  morning  by  dear  Mr.  Mathieson  Rev.  John 

J  °      J  Wilkinson. 

is,  "  The  Rightful  First  Place  of  Jewish  Missions  m  Relation  to 
the   World."     Some   may   think   that  is    begging   the  question,  Israel's 
"The  Rightful  Pirst  Place."     Well,  perhaps  we  may  miss  out  for  place. 
the  time  being  the  "first,"  and  call  it  "The  Rightfid  Place  of 
Jewish  Missions  in  Relation  to  the  World." 

I  do  not  purpose  this  morning  to  give  any  detailed  account  of 


10 


The  Javs  and  the  Mohammedans. 


Rev.  John 
Wilkinson. 


Blessing 
guaranteed. 


Elected 
nation. 


A  Jewish 
prayer. 


work  amongst  the  Jews  by  the  various  evangelical  societies  during 
what  the  present  century.  This  is  not  so  much  a  meeting  to  look  at 
what  has  been  done,  in  order  to  encourage  Christians,  as  to  look  at 
the  other  side,  and  see  what  remains  to  be  done  ;  not  forgetting  to 
thank  the  Lord  for  what  has  been  done.  What  we  want  is 
Christians  for  themselves  to  begin  to  understand  what  is  God's 
way  of  doing  a  thing,  and  to  get  into  His  mind  in  doing  it.  It 
seems  to  me  then  that,  according  to  the  direction  of  my  own 
mind,  after  much  prayer  to  God  for  guidance,  we  should  this 
morning  spend  a  short  time  in  considering  the  relationship  of  the 
Jew,  in  the  revealed  purpose  of  God,  to  the  blessing  of  the  world. 

Let  us  start  from  this  statement,  which,  of  course,  every  one 
who  believes  the  Bible  will  accept,  that  universal  blessing  is 
guaranteed  already.  God  has  guaranteed  universal  blessing. 
"  The  knowledge  of  the  Lord  shall  cover  the  earth  as  the  waters 
cover  the  sea."  "All  flesh  shall  see  the  salvation  of  the  Lord." 
"From  the  rising  of  the  sun  even  unto  the  going  down  of  the 
same  My  name  shall  be  great  among  the  Gentiles."  "All  nations 
shall  call  Him  blessed."    Thus  God  guarantees  universal  blessing. 

By  what  means  1  We  have  revelation  most  clear  on  this  subject. 
He  elects  one  nation;  to  the  father  of  that  nation  (his  name  is 
well  known)  He  says,  "  In  thee  and  in  thy  seed  shall  all  nations 
of  the  earth  be  blessed."  That  is  one  form  of  the  promise — all 
nations ;  another  form  is — all  families.  Then  in  connection  with 
that  you  have  the  well-known  words  in  Isaiah  xliii.  21,  "This 
people  have  I  formed  for  Myself."  God  has  formed  them  for  His 
own  purpose  as  a  nation,  and  has  preserved  them  at  the  cost  of 
miraculous  power  all  down  to  the  present  day,  for  the  purpose  of 
unfolding  through  them  His  plans  of  mercy  to  the  entire  world. 
So  we  are  not  surprised  to  find  such  a  beautiful  prayer  as 
Psalm  lxvii. — that  inspired  prayer  read  by  dear  Earl  Cavan  at  the 
meeting  last  evening.  That  psalm  gives  us  the  key  to  the  whole 
subject.  "  God  be  merciful  unto  us,  and  bless  us.  .  .  .  That  Thy 
way  may  be  known  upon  earth,  Thy  saving  health  among  nil 
nations."  There,  is  no  harm  in  a  Christian  praying  that  prayer  ;  the 
principle  of  it  is,  that  any  of  God's  people  which  are  Missed  in  any 
age  will  lie  a  blessing  to  others.  The  doctrine  has  an  intimate 
connection  with  the  blessing  of  the  Jew  to  the  world.  "God  be 
merciful  unto  us,  and  bless  us."  Prayed  by  a  Jew — what  for? 
"That  Thy  way  may  be  known  upon  the  earth."  Then,  "Let  the 
people  [the  Jewish  people]  praise  Thee.  ...  0  let  the  nations 


Israel's  Rightful  Place.  11 

[what  nations?  The  Gentiles]  be  glad  and  sing  for  joy."  They  Rev.  John 
are  to  be  blessed  through  Israel,  but  to  wait  Israel's  blessing. 
Then  at  the  close  of  this  beautiful  psalm  the  prayer  ripens  with 
faith.  "  God  shall  bless  us."  And  what  is  the  result  ?  "  All  the 
ends  of  the  earth  shall  fear  Him."  I  never  expect  the  ends  of 
the  earth  to  fear  God  while  the  Jews,  His  people,  remain 
■  unbelievers. 

Now  we  have  scores  of  passages  on  this  subject.  I  might  quote  The  line  of 
from  the  Old  Testament,  but  have  not  time  to  do  more  than  give 
one  or  two  as  a  sample.  For  instance,  the  glory  of  the  Gentiles 
as  a  flowing  stream.  Let  us  notice  the  immediate  context.  We 
never  get  the  glory  of  the  Gentiles,  like  a  flowing  stream,  on  a 
universal  scale  until  God  extends  "  peace  to  Jerusalem  like  a  river." 
It  is  down  in  the  Book,  and  can  never  be  altered.  We  must 
come  to  God's  way  of  doing  things,  and  must  not  take  up  schemes 
of  our  own  out  of  harmony  with  it.  We  must  bring  the 
machinery  of  prayer  and  effort  in  the  direction  of  God's  revealed 
will  and  purpose. 

Now  let  us  hasten  down  the  ages  of  Old  Testament  prophecy, 
and  we  come  to  the  advent  of  our  divine  Lord.  I  wish  to 
look  at  the  subject  in  the  light  of  prophecy,  doctrine,  and 
experience,  or  practice.  Take  now  the  blessed  Lord  as  the  Seed 
of  Abraham.  In  that  Seed  were  all  nations  to  be  blessed ;  for  He 
was  the  procuring  cause  of  blessing,  not  the  instrumental  cause  in 
its  diffusion.  He  is,  to  the  nation  elect,  the  procuring  cause 
of  the  blessing;  while  that  nation  is  to  be  the  instrument  in 
diffusing  blessing  throughout  the  world. 

Now  iust  before  the  advent  we  have  the  song  of  Zacharias,  Our  Lord's 

d  °  ministry. 

in  Luke  i.  68-79,  "Blessed  be  the  Lord  God  of  Israel;  for 
He  hath  visited  and  redeemed  His  people  " — what  people  ?  The 
Jews — "to  give  knowledge  of  salvation  unto  His  people  by 
the  remission  of  their  sins,  through  the  tender  mercy  of  our  God ; 
whereby  the  dayspring  from  on  high  hath  visited  us,  to  give 
light  to  them  that  sit  in  darkness  and  in  the  shadow  of  death,  to 
guide  our  feet  into  the  way  of  peace."  (Luke  i.  77-79.) 

Now,  then,  during  the  ministry  of  our  blessed  Lord  we  have 
the  same  line  of  things,  as  we  shall  see  it  opening  out  by-and-by 
to  the  Gentiles.  They  will  get  plenty  of  blessing,  but  in  this 
direction.  In  Matthew  x.  we  have  the  names  of  the  twelve  sent 
out  to  preach  and  to  heal;  and  it  is  said  "these  twelve  Jesus 
sent  forth,  and  commanded  them,  saying,  Go  not  into  the  way  of 


12 


TJie  Jeivs  and  the  Mohammedans. 


Rev.  John 
Wilkinson, 


Lost  sheep 
of  Israel. 


Early 

apostolic 

days. 


the  Gentiles,  and  into  any  city  of  the  Samaritans  enter  ye  not : 
but  go  rather  to  the  lost  sheep  of  the  house  of  Israel.  And 
as  ye  go,  preach,  saying,  The  kingdom  of  heaven  is  at  hand." 

Then,  when  the  poor  Gentile  woman  pressed  the  case  of  her 
poor  devil-possessed  daughter  upon  the  attention  of  the  Lord,  she 
got  the  blessing,  though  apparently  under  pressure.  And  He 
said,  "I  am  not  sent  but  unto  the  lost  sheep  of  the  house  of 
Israel." 

Then  when  we  come  to  our  Lord's  rejection  and  death,  what  do 
we  find  Him  doing?  "Weeping  over  Jerusalem,  the  tears  rolling 
down  His  cheeks.     "  I  would,  and  ye  would  not." 

Then,  in  His  agonies  on  the  cross,  we  find  Him  crying,  on 
behalf  of  this  same  people,  "  Father,  forgive  them ;  for  they  know 
not  what  they  do."  And  after  He  had  been  crucified  and  laid  in 
the  tomb,  and  had  risen  again  from  the  dead — what  do  we 
find  after  His  resurrection1?  He  tells  His  disciples,  just  before 
His  ascension,  "Thus  it  is  written,  and  thus  it  behoved  Christ 
to  suffer,  and  to  rise  again  from  the  dead  the  third  day :  and  that 
repentance  and  remission  of  sins  should  be  preached  in  His  name 
among  all  nations,  beginning  at  Jerusalem."  And  He  adds, 
"  And,  behold,  I  send  the  promise  of  the  Father  upon  you : 
but  tarry  ye  in  the  city  of  Jerusalem,  until  ye  be  endued  with 
power  from  on  high."  They  were  obedient;  they  took  the  Lord 
at  His  word,  and  did  not  stir  from  the  city,  but  waited  till 
they  got  the  power  promised — the  fulfilment  of  the  promise 
of  the  Father.  They  waited ;  and  what  did  they  get  1  Something 
worth  waiting  for — three  thousand  souls  under  one  sermon, 
and  that  sermon  preached  by  a  converted  Jew. 

Now,  dear  friends,  I  just  Avant  you  to  turn  with  me  to  the 
book  of  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles,  and  run  along  the  lines  from 
the  time  of  our  Lord's  resurrection  and  ascension  through  the 
early  apostolic  days,  and  see  what  they  did  to  establish  Christianity 
in  the  first  half-century  of  the  Christian  era.  Oh,  may  the  Holy 
Ghost,  who  gave  us  these  blessed  lessons,  keep  our  minds  open 
to  the  instruction  of  His  own  inspired  Word ! 

Just  commence  at  the  beginning  of  the  book  of  the  Acts 
of  the  Apostles  :  "But  ye  shall  receive  power,  after  that  the  Holy 
Ghost  is  come  upon  you  :  and  ye  shall  be  witnesses  unto  Me  both 
in  Jerusalem,  and  in  all  Judaea,  and  in  Samaria,  and  unto  the 
uttermost  part  of  the  earth."  (i.  8.) 

Then,    in  the  second  chapter,   read  a   verse  here  and  there  : 


Israel's  Rightful  Place.  13 

"And  they  were  all  filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  began  to  £.ev-  j0HN 

J  j  ?  o  Wilkinson. 

speak  with  other  tongues,  as  the  Spirit  gave  them  utterance. 
And  there  were  dwelling  at  Jerusalem  Jews,  devout  men,  out  Filled  with 
of  every  nation  under  heaven.  .  .  .  Parthians,  and  Medes,  and  Ghost. 
Elamites,  and  the  dwellers  in  Mesopotamia,  and  in  Judaea,  and 
Cappadocia,  in  Pontus,  and  Asia,  Phrygia,  and  Pamphylia,  in 
Egypt,  and  in  the  parts  of  Libya  about  Cyrene,  and  strangers 
of  Rome,  Jews  and  proselytes,  Cretes  and  Arabians,  we  do 
hear  them  speak  in  our  tongues  the  wonderful  works  of  God." 
(Actsii.  4-11.) 

I  would  remind  you  who  these  were.  I  have  heard  this  passage 
quoted  again  and  again  in  my  hearing  as  if  these  were  Gentiles 
from  foreign  parts.  It  is  perhaps  a  natural  error;  but  it  is  an 
error.  They  were  Jews  come  up  to  Jerusalem  to  keep  the 
festival  of  Pentecost.  True,  there  were  a  few  proselytes  amongst 
them,  but  proselytes  to  the  Jewish  religion.  Then  read  verse  1 4  : 
"But  Peter,  standing  up  with  the  eleven,  lifted  up  his  voice,  and 
said  unto  them,  Ye  men  of  Judsea,  and  all  ye  that  dwell  at 
Jerusalem,  be  this  known  unto  you,  and  hearken  to  my  words." 

Pass  on  to  verse  39 :  "  For  the  promise  is  unto  you,  and 
to  your  children,  and  to  all  that  are  afar  off,  even  as  many  as  the 
Lord  our  God  shall  call."  Not  simply  the  children  of  the  current 
generation,  but  to  all  your  descendants  is  the  promise  given — "to 
you,  and  to  your  children."  And  then  not  only  "to  you,  and 
to  your  children,"  but  "to  all  that  are  afar  off."  I  believe 
that  represents  China,  India,  Africa,  the  South  Sea  Islanders, 
Mussulmen,  and  heathen  all  over  the  world ;  in  fact,  every  nation 
under  heaven. 

But  let  us  keep  along  the  line  of  apostolic  practice,  and  see  how  To  the  Jews 
they  worked.  Read  verses  41  and  47:  "Then  they  that  gladly 
received  His  word  were  baptized :  and  the  same  day  there  were 
added  unto  them  about  three  thousand  souls.  .  .  .  Praising  God, 
and  having  favour  with  all  the  people.  And  the  Lord  added 
to  the  Church  daily  such  as  should  be  saved."  We  read  in 
chapter  i.  there  were  about  an  hundred  and  twenty-four — 3000 
have  been  added,  so  there  are  at  least  3120  disciples. 

Now  pass  on  to  chapter  iii.,  and  read  at  the  end  :  "Ye  are  the  a  light  to 

x  -"-  the  Gentiles. 

children  of  the  prophets  "  (he  is  addressing  the  Jewish  people), 
"  and  of  the  covenant  which  God  made  with  our  fathers,  saying 
unto  Abraham,  And  in  thy  seed  shall  all  the  kindreds  of  the 
earth  be  blessed.      Unto  you  first  God,  having  raised  up  His 


14  The  Jews  and  the  Mohammedans. 

Rev.  John    Son  Jesus,  sent  Him  to  bless  you,  in  turning  away  every  one  of 

Wilkinson.  !.....„  J 

you  from  his  iniquities. 

Then  chapter  iv.  4  :  "  Many  of  them  which  heard  the  word 
believed;  and  the  number  of  the  men  was  about  five  thousand." 
Notice  the  three  thousand  were  "souls" — that  is,  men  and  women 
— but  now  it  is  expressly  stated  five  thousand  men  believed.  In 
all  great  revivals  it  is  well  known  that  at  least  as  many  women  as 
men  are  impressed.  Hence  I  believe  we  may  take  it  that  five 
thousand  women  at  least  also  believe.  So  it  is  fair  to  infer 
that  ten  thousand  Jews  and  Jewesses  were  added  to  the  Church. 
The  purpose  Then  chapter  v.  14:  "And  believers  were  the  more  added  to 
the  Lord,  multitudes  both  of  men  and  women."  These  are  still 
Jews,  all  Jews.  And  in  verse  31  we  have  the  purpose  of 
Christ's  exaltation.  I  have  often  heard  this  quoted,  leaving  out 
Israel;  but  Israel  is  distinctly  mentioned.  Read  it:  "Him  hath 
God  exalted  with  His  right  hand  to  be  a  Prince  and  a  Saviour, 
for  to  give  repentance  to  Israel,  and  forgiveness  of  sins.  And  we 
are  His  witnesses  of  these  things;  and  so  is  also  the  Holy 
Ghost,  whom  God  hath  given  to  them  that  obey  Him.  .  .  .  And 
daily  in  the  temple,  and  in  every  house,  they  cease  not  to  teach 
and  preach  Jesus  Christ." 

In  the  folloAving  chapter  we  read,  at  verse  7  :  "  And  the  word 
of  God  increased ;  and  the  number  of  the  disciples  multiplied  in 
Jerusalem  greatly;  and  a  great  company  of  the  priests  were 
obedient  to  the  faith." 

Now  pass  on  to  chapter  viii.,  where  we  read:  "At  that  time 
there  was  a  great  persecution  against  the  church  which  was  at 
Jerusalem ;  and  they  were  all  scattered  abroad  throughout  the 
regions  of  Judaea  and  Samaria,  except  the  apostles.  .  .  .  Therefore 
they  that  were  scattered  abroad  went  every  where  preaching  the 
PMiipin      word.      Then  Philip   went   down   to  the  city  of    Samaria,   and 

Qo  mafia  J-  ** 

preached  Christ  unto  them.  And  the  people  with  one  accord 
gave  heed  unto  those  things  which  Philip  spake,  hearing  and 
seeing  the  miracles  which  he  did.  .  .  .  And  there  was  great  joy 
in  that  city." 

Now  in  chapter  ix.  let  us  read  what  the  Lord  said  about  Saul 
of  Tarsus,  who  had  just  been  converted:  "But  the  Lord  said 
unto  him,  Go  thy  way  :  for  he  is  a  chosen  vessel  unto  Me,  to  bear 
My  name  before  the  Gentiles,  and  kings,  and  the  children  of 
Israel.  .  .  .  And  straightway  he  preached  Christ  in  the  synagogues, 
that  lie  i    the  Son  of  God.  .  .  .  But  Saul  increased  the  more  in 


Samaria. 


Israel's  Rightful  Place.  15 

strength,  and  confounded  the  Jews  which  dwelt  at  Damascus,  ,Rev- JoiIN 

.  .     .  .  Wilkinson. 

proving  that  this  is  very  Christ.  .  .  .  Then  had  the  churches  rest 
throughout  all  Judaea  and  Galilee  and  Samaria,  and  were  edified ; 
and  walking  in  the  fear  of  the  Lord,  and  in  the  comfort  of  the 
Holy  Ghost,  were  multiplied.  .  .  .  And  all  that  dwelt  at  Lydda 
and  Saron  saw  him,  and  turned  to  the  Lord." 

But  now  in  chapter  x.  44  we  find  a  new  development  for  which  Gentiles 
a  special  vision  was  required :  "  While  Peter  yet  spake  these 
words,  the  Holy  Ghost  fell  on  all  them  which  heard  the  word. 
And  they  of  the  circumcision  which  believed  were  astonished,  as 
many  as  came  with  Peter,  because  that  on  the  Gentiles  also  was 
poured  out  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost." 

I  want  you  to  notice  specially  the  word  "also" — "the  Gentiles 
also."  Eighteen  hundred  years  ago  it  was  not  a  question  as  to  the 
possibility  of  the  conversion  of  the  Jews,  as  now-a-days  it  is,  but 
as  to  the  possibility  of  the  conversion  of  the  Gentiles.  Though 
the  JeAvs  had  rejected  their  Lord,  and  nailed  Him  to  the  cross,  it 
never  occurred  to  anyone  to  have  a  difficulty  about  the  conversion 
of  the  Jews.  But  the  Jews  were  prejudiced,  and  the  prejudice  was 
removed  by  God  sending  the  Holy  Ghost  on  the  Gentiles  also. 
"When  God  was  pleased  so  to  act,  they  knew  they  must  work  on 
His  lines. 

So  in  chapter   xi.,   when  Peter  is  called  to  account  by   the  The  door 

x  ...  opened. 

apostles  and  brethren  at  Jerusalem  for  baptizing  Gentiles,  he  gives 
a  simple  and  child-like  account  of  the  whole  affair,  concluding 
with  these  words  :  "As  I  began  to  speak,  the  "Holy  Ghost  fell  on 
them,  as  on  us  at  the  beginning.  Then  remembered  I  the  word 
of  the  Lord,  how  that  He  said,  John  indeed  baptized  with  water ; 
but  ye  shall  be  baptized  with  the  Holy  Ghost.  Forasmuch  then 
as  God  gave  them  the  like  gift  as  He  did  unto  us,  who  believed 
on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ;  what  was  I,  that  I  could  withstand 
God  *?  When  they  heard  these  things,  they  held  their  peace,  and 
glorified  God,  saying,  then  hath  God  also  to  the  Gentiles  granted 
repentance  unto  life." 

But  still,  as  we  read  in  verse  19,  they  preached  to  Jews  only: 
"  Now  they  which  were  scattered  abroad,  upon  the  persecution 
that  arose  about  Stephen,  travelled  as  far  as  Phenice,  and  Cyprus, 
and  Antioch,  preaching  the  word  to  none  but  unto  the  Jews 
only.  And  some  of  them  were  men  of  Cyprus  and  Cyrene, 
which,  when  they  were  come  to  Antioch,  spake  unto  the 
Grecians,  preaching  the  Lord  Jesus.     And  the  hand  of  the  Lord 


16 


The  Jews  and  the  Mohammedans. 


Rev.  John 
Wilkinson. 


Call  of 
Barnabas 
and  Saul. 


Blasphem- 
ing Jews. 


was  with  them  :  and  a  great  number  believed,  and  turned  unto 
the  Lord." 

Then,  passing  on,  we  come  to  chapter  xiii.,  where  we  read:  "As 
they  ministered  to  the  Lord,  and  fasted,  the  Holy  Ghost  said, 
Separate  Me  Barnabas  and  Saul  for  the  work  whereimto  I  have 
called  them.  And  when  they  had  fasted  and  prayed,  and  laid  their 
hands  on  them,  they  sent  them  away.  So  they,  being  sent  forth 
by  the  Holy  Ghost,  departed  unto  Seleucia ;  and  from  thence 
they  sailed  to  Cyprus.  And  when  they  were  at  Salamis,  they 
preached  the  word  of  God  in  the  synagogues  of  the  Jews :  and 
they  had  also  John  to  their  minister." 

Then  as  to  how  they  acted  in  these  cities  they  visited,  read 
verse  14:  "But  when  they  departed  from  Perga,  they  came  to 
Antioch  in  Pisidia,  and  went  into  the  synagogue  on  the  sabbath 
day,  and  sat  down." 

In  the  address  given  in  this  synagogue  we  find  they  preached  to 
the  Jews  salvation  through  the  atoning  blood  of  Jesus — "  Be  it 
known  unto  you  therefore,  men  and  brethren,  that  through  this 
Man  is  preached  unto  you  the  forgiveness  of  sins.  .  .  .  But  when 
the  Jews  saw  the  multitudes,  they  were  filled  with  envy,  and 
spake  against  those  things  which  were  spoken  by  Paul,  contra- 
dicting and  blaspheming.  Then  Paul  and  Barnabas  waxed  bold 
and  said,  It  was  necessary  that  the  word  of  God  should  first  have 
been  spoken  to  you :  but  seeing  ye  put  it  from  you,  and  judge 
yourselves  unworthy  of  everlasting  life,  lo,  we  turn  to  the  Gentiles. 
For  so  hath  the  Lord  commanded  us,  saying,  I  have  set  thee  to  be 
a  light  of  the  Gentiles,  that  thou  shouldest  be  for  salvation  unto 
the  ends  of  the  earth.  And  when  the  Gentiles  heard  this,  they 
were  glad,  and  glorified  the  word  of  the  Lord :  and  as  many  as 
were  ordained  to  eternal  life  believed.  And  the  word  of  the 
Lord  was  published  throughout  all  the  region." 

Mark,  numbers  of  Christians  think  the  apostles  at  this  time 
turned  from  all  Jews  to  all  Gentiles;  that  the  Jews  in  a  collective 
and  not  an  individual  capacity  were  shut  out  from  salvation  for  an 
indefinite  period.  We  see,  however,  in  the  very  first  verse  of  the 
following  chapter,  that  they  still  preached  to  the  Jews,  although 
they  had  turned  from  these  particular  Jews  who  blasphemed: 
"And  it  came  to  pass  in  Iconium,  that  they  went  both  together 
into  the  synagogue  of  the  Jews,  and  so  spake,  that  a  great 
multitude  both  of  the  Jews  and  also  of  the  Greeks  believed." 

1  believe  they  preached  a  different  sermon  to  the  .Jews  and  the 


Israel's  Rightful  Place.  17 

Gentiles — the  same  gospel  and  the  same  Saviour,  but  a  different  Rev.  John 

.  Wilkinson. 

sermon — because  the  Jews  had  the  Old  Testament,  and  they 
sought  to  prove  and  allege  from  the  Scriptures  that  Jesus  was  the 
Messiah.  The  Gentiles  had  not  these  Scriptures,  and  Jesus  had 
to  be  presented  to  them  in  a  different  way.  An  example  of 
sermons  to  Gentiles  you  find  in  verse  15:  "Sirs,  why  do  ye 
these  things'?  We  also  are  men  of  like  passions  with  you,  and 
preach  unto  you  that  ye  should  turn  from  these  vanities  unto  the 
living  God,  which  made  heaven,  and  earth,  and  the  sea,  and  all 
things  that  are  therein." 

At  the  end  of  this  missionary  journey  we  read:  "And  when 
they  were  come,  and  had  gathered  the  Church  together,  they 
rehearsed  all  that  God  had  done  with  them,  and  how  He  had 
opened  the  door  of  faith  unto  the  Gentiles." 

Now  pass  on  to  chapter  xvii.,  where  we  find  that  at  Thessalonica,  Paul  at 

i  n  -r  Thessa- 

where  was  a  synagogue  of  the  Jews,  the  apostles  spent  three  lonica. 
Saturdays  in  succession  reasoning  "  with  them  out  of  the  Scrip- 
tures, opening  and  alleging,  that  Christ  must  needs  have  suffered, 
and  risen  again  from  the  dead ;  and  that  this  Jesus,  whom  I 
preach  unto  you,  is  Christ.  And  some  of  them  believed,  and 
consorted  with  Paul  and  Silas ;  and  of  the  devout  Greeks  a  great 
multitude,  and  of  the  chief  women  not  a  few." 

Then  wTe  see  again  that  Paul's  regular  custom,  although  he  was 
the  missionary  to  the  Gentiles,  was  to  go  first  to  the  synagogue. 
He  never  during  the  whole  of  his  apostolic  career  entered  a  town 
or  city  without  seeking  out  the  synagogue,  and  preaching  the 
gospel  to  the  Jews,  whether  they  would  hear  or  forbear.  So  in 
verse  10:  "And  the  brethren  immediately  sent  away  Paul  and 
Silas  by  night  unto  Berea :  who  coming  thither  went  into  the 
synagogue  of  the  Jews.  These  were  more  noble  than  those  in 
Thessalonica,  in  that  they  received  the  Word  with  all  readiness  of 
mind,  and  searched  the  Scriptures  daily,  whether  those  things 
were  so.  Therefore  many  of  them  believed ;  also  of  honourable 
women  which  were  Greeks,  and  of  men,  not  a  few." 

Now  in  verse  1 6  we  are  told  Paul's  spirit  was  stirred  by  the  At  Athens, 
idolatry  of  Athens.     What  did  he  do  1     Kush  at  once  to  speak  to 
Athenians  1     No.     The  verse   says :    "  Therefore   disputed  he  in 
the  synagogue  with  the  Jews,  and  with  the  devout  persons,  and 
in  the  market  daily  with  them  that  met  with  him." 

Why  did  he  go  to  the  synagogue1?  Not  because  he  was  a 
coward,  and  wanted  to  run  away  from  the  idolaters.     He  seemed 

c 


18  The  Jews  and  the  Mohammedans. 

Rev.  John    to  have  the  idea  that  if  he  got  hold  of  the  Jews  at  Athens,  he 

Wilkinson.  .  -1,1 

could  leave  the  work  of  evangelizing  the  Athenians  in  the  hands 
of  the  converted  Jews,  and  pass  on  to  other  cities.  Thus  when  his 
spirit  was  stirred  up  by  seeing  the  whole  city  given  over  to 
idolatry,  he  went  therefore  into  the  synagogue,  and  disputed  with 
the  Jews. 

Paul  at  Then  go  on  to  chapter  xviii.  :  "After  these  things  Paul  departed 

from  Athens,  and  came  to  Corinth ;  and  found  a  certain  Jew 
named  Aquila,  born  in  Pontus,  lately  come  from  Italy,  with  his 
wife  Priscilla ;  because  that  Claudius  had  commanded  all  Jews  to 
depart  from  Rome  :)  and  came  unto  them.  .  .  .  And  he  reasoned 
in  the  synagogue  every  sabbath,  and  persuaded  the  Jews  and  the 
Greeks.  .  .  .  And  when  they  opposed  themselves,  and  bias] >hemed, 
he  shook  his  raiment,  and  said  unto  them,  Your  blood  be  upon 
your  own  heads ;  I  am  clean  :  from  henceforth  I  will  go  unto  the 
Gentiles." 

Again,  he  only  means  to  leave  these  particular  Jews  who 
blasphemed,  and  turn  to  the  Gentiles ;  for  we  still  find  him  preach- 
ing to  the  Jews.  "  He  departed  thence,  and  entered  into  a 
certain  man's  house,  named  Justus,  one  that  worshipped  God, 
whose  house  joined  hard  to  the  synagogue.  And  Crispus,  the 
chief  ruler  of  the  synagogue,  believed  on  the  Lord  with  all  his 
house;  and  many  of  the  Corinthians  hearing  believed,  and  were 
baptized." 

At  Ephesus.  Because  Crispus  believed  blessing  came  to  the  Gentile  Corinth- 
ians. Further  on  we  find  Paul  left  Corinth,  sailed  to  Syria,  and 
"came  to  Ephesus,  and  left  them  there:  but  he  himself  entered 
into  the  synagogue,  and  reasoned  with  the  Jews." 

Afterwards  he  left  Ephesus,  and  went  elsewhere;  but  in  the 
meantime  "a  certain  Jew  named  Apollos,  born  at  Alexandria,  an 
elocpient  man,  and  mighty  in  the  Scriptures,  came  to  Ephesus. 
This  man  was  instructed  in  the  way  of  the  Lord;  and  being 
fervent-  in  I  lie  spirit,  lie  spake  and  taught  diligently  the  things  of 
the  Lord,  knowing  only  the  baptism  of  John.  And  Ik1  began  to 
speak  boldly  in  the  synagogue:  whom  when  Aquila  and  Priscilla 
had  heard,  they  took  him  unto  them,  and  expounded  unto  him  the 
way  of  God  more  perfectly.  And  when  he  was  disposed  to  pass 
into  Achaia,  the  brethren  wrote,  exhorting  the  disciples  to  receive 
him  :  who,  when  he  was  come,  helped  them  much  which  had 
believed  through  grace:  for  he  mightily  convinced  the  Jews,  and 
that  publicly,  shewing  by  the  scriptures  that  -lesus  was  Christ." 


Israel's  Rightful  Place.  19 

In  chapter  xix.  we  find  that  when  Apollos  went  on  to  Corinth  Rev-  JoHN 

Wilkinson. 

Paul  came  back  to  Ephesns,  where  he  found  disciples,  and  baptized 
them.  Then  Ave  read:  "And  he  went  into  the  synagog-ue,  and 
spake  boldly  for  the  space  of  three  months,  disputing  and 
persuading  the  things  concerning  the  kingdom  of  God.  .  .  .  And 
this  continued  by  the  space  of  two  years ;  so  that  all  they  which 
dwelt  in  Asia  heard  the  word  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  both  Jews  and 
Greeks.  .  .  .  And  this  was  known  to  all  the  Jews  and  Greeks 
also  dwelling  at  Ephesus ;  and  fear  fell  on  them  all,  and  the  name 
of  the  Lord  Jesus  was  magnified.  And  many  that  believed  came, 
and  confessed,  and  showed  their  deeds.  Many  of  them  also  Burning  the 
which  used  curious  arts  brought  their  books  together,  and  burned 
them  before  all  men  :  and  they  counted  the  price  of  them,  and 
found  it  fifty  thousand  pieces  of  silver.  So  mightily  grew  the 
Word  of  God,  and  prevailed." 

Then  in  the  same  chapter  we  find  Demetrius  bearing  testimony 
to  Paul's  power  as  a  preacher.  "  Moreover  ye  see  and  hear,  that 
not  alone  at  Ephesus,  but  almost  throughout  all  Asia,  this  Paul 
hath  persuaded  and  turned  away  much  people,  saying  that  they  be 
no  gods,  which  are  made  with  hands." 

Further  on  we  get  some  precious  light.  When  Paul  was 
minded  to  go  into  the  theatre  to  speak  to  the  people  the  brethren 
suffered  him  not,  because  of  the  danger ;  but  Alexander,  a  Jew, 
was  willing  to  face  the  danger.  "  But  when  they  knew  that  he 
was  a  Jew,  all  with  one  voice  about  the  space  of  two  hours  cried 
out,  Great  is  Diana  of  the  Ephesians." 

It  is  a  high  compliment.  They  recognized  that  Alexander  being 
a  Jew  was  a  dangerous  man,  and  they  would  not  let  him  speak ; 
but  for  two  hours  shouted,  "  Great  is  Diana  of  the  Ephesians." 
Imagine  a  crowd  shouting  for  two  hours,  as  if  by  long  and 
continued  shouting  they  could  make  her  a  goddess  who  was  no  god. 

Well,  there  is  much  more  of   the  same  sort.     All  along  the  An  un- 

'  _  °  broken  line. 

lines  we  have  been  travelling  we  have  found  plainly  revealed  in 
prophecy,  in  our  Lord's  ministry,  and  in  the  apostolic  practice, 
that  God's  will  is  "to  the  Jeiv  first."  And  consider  how  wise  it 
is  !  Where  are  the  Jews  now  1  In  all  lands,  having  access  to  all 
peoples,  familiar  with  all  languages,  knowing  the  habits  and 
customs  of  all  people,  acclimatized  to  all  countries,  believing 
three-fourths  of  our  Bible,  and  just  waiting  for  their  Messiah,  our 
Lord  and  Christ.  What  a  blessing  they  are  ready  to  be  to 
all  people  !     If  it  had  not  been  for  the  unscriptural  prejudice  the 

c  2 


20  The  Jews  and  the  Mohammedans. 

Rev.  John    Gentiles   cherish   against   the   Jew,   he   ought   to  have   heen   put 

Wilkinson.  °  #  '  _  l 

and  kept  in  the  position  in  which  he  was  put  eighteen  hundred 
years  ago.  But  for  this  mistake  we  might  have  gone  on  increasing 
the  number  of  Gentile  converts  all  down  this  age.  What  has 
been  the  cause  of  the  prejudice  1  I  think,  when  Titus  destroyed 
the  city,  and  led  the  Jews  captive  in  the  year  70,  Christians 
began  to  think  that  the  spiritual  interests  of  the  individual  were 
mixed  up  with  the  national  and  temporal  interests  of  the  Jewish 
people.  Thus,  first  beginning  to  neglect  them,  they  went  on  to 
persecute  them,  and  the  result  was  the  "dark  ages." 
Modem  Now  a  century  ago  the  Christian  Church  awoke  to  its  great 

missions.  .  . 

mission  of  sending  the  gospel  into  all  the  world,  but  still  the 
Jew  was  forgotten;  and  even  to-day  he  is  in  a  great  measure 
forgotten.  Cannot  we  get  into  the  way  of  putting  the  Jews 
more  prominently  into  our  prayers  1  I  have  a  deep  conviction — 
a  conviction  that  has  been  deepening  for  the  last  thirty-five  years, 
and  never  was  deeper  than  to-day — that  one  of  the  secondary 
causes  of  the  close  of  this  dispensation  in  failure  and  judgment 
will  be  the  culpable  neglect  of  the  Jew.  We  are  responsible 
to  send  the  gospel  to  every  creature;  we  are  also  responsible 
to  begin  with  the  Jew.  And  if  the  world  is  to  be  responsible 
for  the  gospel  rejected,  the  Jew  ought  to  have  the  opportunity  of 
Besponsi-     receiving   it,    if    he    will.      The   Jews    were   as   responsible    for 

bility  of  °        '  l 

.lows  and      rejecting  the  Messiah  at  His  first  advent,  as  though  it  never  had 
Gentiles.  jo  .  . 

been  predicted  that  they  would  not  receive  Him ;    and  we  are 

just  as  responsible  for  sending  the   gospel  to  the  Jew  and   to 

the  world,  in  obedience  to  oxxr  blessed  Lord,  as  though  the  world 

were  to  be  converted  by  it  in  this  dispensation.     Certainly  we 

should  give  no  uncertain  sound  that  may  lead  anybody  to  suppose 

we  expect  in   this  dispensation  to  see  the  world   converted   by 

the   preaching   of    the   gospel.      But   we   are   to    evangelize,    to 

disciple  all  nations;   and  we  are   bound   logo,  in  obedience  to 

our   Lord,    with    Bible    in    hand.      And   according   to   apostolic 

precedent  we  must  take  the  Jew  first,   in  accordance  with   the 

guidance   the    Lord   gives   us.     Turn   in  connection  with  this   to 

Komans    i.    16.      What    says    Paul1?      "I    am     nol     ashamed 

of    the    gospel   of    Christ:    for    it  is   the    power    of    God    unto 

salvation   to   every   one   that   believeth ;    to  the  Jew   first,   and 

al  o  to  the  Greek."  (Romans  i.  1G.)     Read  also,  in  the  following 

chapter,    "But    glory,    honour,    and    peace,    to   every   man    that 

worketh  good,  to  the  dew  first,  and  also  to  the  Gentile;  for  there 


Israel's  Rightful  Place.  21 

is  no  respect  of  persons  with  God."  (Romans  ii.  10,  11.)    Another  Rev.  John 

v  '  Wilkinson. 

verse  throws  wonderful  light  on  the  relation  of  the  Jew  in  this 
dispensation  to  the  world :  "  And  if  some  of  the  branches  be 
broken  off,  and  thou,  being  a  wild  olive  tree,  wert  graffed  in 
among  them,  and  with  them  partakest  of  the  root  and  fatness  of 
the  olive  tree ;  boast  not  against  the  branches.  But  if  thou  boast, 
thou  bearest  not  the  root,  but  the  root  thee.  Thou  wilt  say  then, 
The  branches  were  broken  off,  that  I  might  be  graffed  in.  Well ; 
because  of  unbelief  they  were  broken  off,  and  thou  standest  by 
faith.     Be  not  high-minded,  but  fear."  (Rom.  xi.  17-20.) 

It  is  plain  that  we  are  not  monopolizers,  but  partakers.  God  Blessing 
intended  a  Jewish  Christian  Church,  the  doors  of  which  were  Jews.° 
to  be  thrown  wide  open  to  the  Gentiles.  The  Jew  first,  leading 
the  way  for  blessing  to  the  Gentiles.  That  is  the  plan  in  this 
dispensation — the  Jews  first  as  individuals,  and  then  the  Gentiles. 
And  at  the  return  of  the  Lord,  the  Jews  first  as  a  nation,  and 
then  the  Gentiles  as  nations.  As  the  late  Dr.  Mc  Neile  put  it,  in 
my  hearing  in  Exeter  Hall  thirty  years  ago  :  "  There  are  four 
steps  in  the  world's  conversion — some  Jews,  some  Gentiles ;  the 
nation  of  the  Jews,  the  nations  of  the  Gentiles."  He  gave  these 
four  steps,  and  I  have  never  forgotten  them.  We  must  take  the 
way  the  Bible  lays  down,  following  apostolic  precedent  as  Avell  as 
our  Lord's  precept. 

Now  let  me  read  an  extract  I  cut  out  from  this  week's  Jewish 
newspaper : 

"THE   JEWISH    POPULATION    IN    RUSSIA. 
"  From  Jewish  Chronicle  of  October  1st,  1SS6. 

"On  the  demand  of  the  Superior  Commission  for  Jewish  Affairs  Jews  in 

RllSSlR 

in  Russia,  the  Statistical  Committee  of  the  Ministry  of  the  Interior 
has  collected  information  concerning  the  Jewish  population,  and 
the  landed  property  of  Jews  in  the  year  1884,  in  the  South- 
western Governments  of  Russia,  which  belong  to  the  area  of 
settlement  of  the  Jews.  These  statistical  data  have  been  published 
under  the  heading  of  "Statistical  Annual  for  1885,"  and  apply  to 
sixteen  Governments,  which  are  assigned  as  places  of  residence 
for  the  Jews.  These  are  the  Governments  of  Minsk,  Grodno, 
Kowno,  Mohilew,  Podolia,  Bessarabia,  Wolhynia,  Wilna,  Witebsk, 
Kiew,  Kherson,  Tchernigow,  Poltowa,  Ekaterinoslaw,  Tauride, 
and  Churkow,  as  well  as  the  three  towns  of  Odessa,  Kertch,  and 
Sebastopol. 


22  The  Jews  and  the  Mohammedans. 

Rev.  John         "Among  the  total  population  of  25A-  million  inhabitants  com- 

WlLKINSON.  . 

prised  in  the  sixteen  Governments,  and  the  three  towns  mentioned 
above,  there  are  2,930,639  JeAvs  ;  that  is  to  say,  11.5  per  cent,  of 
the  population.  .  .  .  The  majority  of  the  Jews  live  in  the  towns 
and  boroughs.  In  four  towns  they  form  80  per  cent,  of  the 
population  ;  in  five,  from  70  to  80  per  cent. ;  in  sixty-eight,  from 
50  to  70  per  cent.;  and  in  eight,  from  20  to  40  per  cent.  The 
Jewish  population  of  the  boroughs  is  on  the  average  42  per  cent. ; 
in  the  villages  it  only  attains  an  average  of  10  per  cent." 

"We  are  just  now  seeking  from  the  Russian  government  (and 
Mr.  Matheson  and  I  saw  the  Russian  ambassador  a  few  days  ago 
about  it,  and  had  a  kind  reception)  permission  to  distribute  ten 
thousand  copies  of  the  Hebrew  scriptures  to  the  Jews  in  Russia. 
What  a  revolution  we  might  effect  in  Russia  if  we  got  thousands 
of  Jews  brought  to  Jesus  there! 

Now  we  are  having  two  meetings  during  this  Conference  in 
reference  to  the  distribution  of  missionaries  throughout  the  world, 
and  for  the  purpose  of  getting  work  and  workers  together.  J 
rejoice  that  Mr.  Fry  has  been  led  to  issue  the  circulars  he  has 
done,  and  I  believe  it  will  be  of  great  value.  Now  I  ask,  Sin  mid 
machinery.  we  no^  j^  ^n^g  ^0  overhaul  three  matters  in  connection  with 
evangelization— men,  money,  and  machinery  1 

Might  we  not  find  that,  instead  of  taking  up  here  and  there 
one  godly  Gentile  for  the  work  to  go  amongst  heathen,  Mussulmen, 
or  Jews,  we  might  get  hundreds  of  converted  Jews  to  help  us  to 
evangelize  the  world  1 

Then  about  money.  God  uses  it  in  His  blessed  work.  But  I  do 
not  think  the  workers  themselves  think  so  much  about  the  money 
as  about  the  men  and  the  work.  I  believe,  however,  we  need  to 
overhaul  our  machinery  for  getting  money  for  the  Lord's  work. 
I  do  not  think  it  is  the  best  course  in  the  world  to  send  out 
expensive  deputations  at  high  salaries  all  over  the  country  to  ask 
for  money.  Christians  should  settle  it  with  God  what  He  would 
have  them  do,  and  trust  Him  for  the  means,  and  not  semi  in  all 
directions  begging  for  it.  Let  us  do  the  work,  and  lei  the  Lord's 
stewards — let  the  church — supply  the  funds,  and  ( rod  will  send  the 
funds  needed.  I  do  not  think,  as  far  as  1  can  see,  we  are  justified 
in  spending  hundreds  and  thousands  of  pounds  in  advertising  for 
funds.  I  believe  many  have  shut  up  their  pockets  because  of 
these  appeals. 


Men— 
money' 


Mohammedans  of  North- West  India.  23 

Then  the  machinery.  Is  it  not  possible  to  get  into  a  routine  Rev.  John 
and  stereotyped  way  of  doing  things?  May  we  not  improve  the 
machinery  without  altogether  breaking  it  up1?  "We  need  some 
improvements  both  at  home  and  abroad  in  our  way  of  doing 
things.  But  if  we  wish  to  hasten  the  blessing  of  the  Gentiles, 
let  us  take  up  the  Jews. 

Mr.  Wilkinson  concluded  with  prayer. 


MOHAMMEDANS   OF   NORTH-WEST   INDIA. 
By  Eev.  A.  W.  Baumann. 
In  God's  economy  of  divine  purpose  it  seems  to  have  been  fore-  Rev.  a.  w. 

Baumann 

ordained  that  the  Church  of  Christ  should  be  a  struggling  and 
striving,  yet  finally  triumphant  Church.  If  we  go  back  to  the  Israel's 
first  Church  of  God,  we  find  it  struggling  under  the  oppression  of 
Pharaoh.  Under  the  guidance  of  Moses  it  was  led  to  Palestine, 
and  there  it  was  still  a  striving  and  wrestling  Church — wrestling 
as  Jacob  did  upon  his  knees,  wrestling  for  themselves  and  for  the 
glory  of  God.  This  noble  striving  for  the  accomplishments  of 
God's  purposes  has,  alas !  not  been  faithfully  maintained  by  the 
Christian  Church.      No  doubt  there  has   been   struggling  from  The  Church 

00       °  to-day. 

time  to  time,  but  at  the  present  day  the  Church  of  Christ  can 
hardly  be  called  a  struggling  Church.  There  has  been  striving  for 
better  religious  life,  and  better  light,  from  time  to  time  ;  but  for  the 
present  the  Church  is  lacking  very  much  in  this  faithful  striving 
and  wrestling  for  the  extension  and  development  of  Christ's 
kingdom.  I  say  the  Church  of  Christ ;  I  have  no  doubt  there 
are  individual  members  of  it  interested  in  missions,  either  as 
missionaries  or  as  helpers  of  missions;  but  only  individuals. 
The  Church  of  Christ  at  large  is  not  wrestling  and  striving,  and 
therefore  it  is  that  our  enemies  have  yet  the  better  of  us,  our 
numbers  do  not  increase  in  foreign  lands  as  they  ought  to  do,  and 
Christianity  does  not  increase  so  fast  as  we  would  like  to  see 
it  do. 

Our  enemies  are  threefold — three  within,  and  three  without.  £j^u.ch.s 
Our  enemies  within  are  unbelief,  indifference,  and  infidelity ;  and  enemies. 
our   opponents  without  are  the  Jews,    the  Mohammedans,   and 
the    Romanists.      If    I  call   the  first  our  opponents,    I   do  not 
mean  that  we  Christians  ought  to  look,  or  do  look,  upon  them  as 
enemies.     We  ought  rather  to  pray  for  them  as  the  Lord  prayed 


24 


TJie  Jews  and  the  Mohammedans. 


Rev.  A.  W. 
Baumann. 


North-West 
India. 


Moham- 
medan faith 


Moham- 
medan 
practice. 


Spread  of 
Moham- 
medanism. 


even  on  the  cross ;  we  ought  to  love  them  as  He  loved  them,  and 
as  He  taught  us  to  love  thern ;  but  still  they  look  upon  us  as 
enemies,  and  oppose  our  missions  when  they  can,  and  seek  to 
hinder  those  who  want  to  enter  into  the  kingdom. 

It  has  been  my  privilege  to  work  in  the  North-West  Provinces 
of  India,  among  the  Mohammedans.  They  are  a  hard  race  to 
deal  with.  Their  religion  has  spread  from  country  to  country, 
because  it  has  some  truth  in  it,  and  their  boast  is  that  they  have 
the  whole  truth.  They  are  proud  not  only  of  their  religion,  but 
also  of  their  prophet  Mohammed.  There  is  no  doubt  that  at  the 
time  when  he  tried  to  bring  another  religion  into  life  he  was 
surrounded  by  decaying  religious  systems,  and  he  tried  his  very 
best  to  do  conscientiously  something  in  the  name  of  God  to 
benefit  his  countrymen ;  and  because  of  that  his  religion  was 
beneficial  so  far  to  those  nations  where  his  opinions  were  first 
received.  The  Mohammedan  religion  may  be  divided  into  two 
parts  ;  one  is  faith,  and  the  other  practice.  The  faith  (iiuan) 
is  the  doctrine  which  every  Mohammedan  learns  as  a  parrot,  even 
as  a  child,  when  he  can  scarcely  understand  what  he  has  been 
taught  by  his  teacher.  We  hear  the  shout  of  the  Muezzim  in 
every  Indian  town,  "  Akbar  Allah,"  or,  "  Great  is  God."  Then 
the  cry  follows,  "There  is  no  God  but  God,  and  Mohammed 
is  His  prophet."  This  creed  is  a  very  easy  one  to  remember,  and 
a  rational  doctrine,  if  compared  with  many  of  the  Eastern  absurd 
and  abstruse  axioms,  therefore  many  Orientals  seem  to  take  to  it. 
Then  the  second  part  of  Islam  is  practical  religion  (din),  consisting 
of  five  observances :  1,  Recital  of  the  Creed  (Kalima);  2,  Prayer 
with  Ablution  (Namaz) ;  3,  Fasting  (Koza) ;  4,  Almsgiving 
(Zukkat) ;  5,  Pilgrimage  (Hajj). 

The  propagation  of  Islam  is  enjoined  on  every  Moslem,  and 
many  of  them  are  only  too  faithful  to  their  trust,  and  spread  the 
name  of  their  prophet  and  his  creed  to  the  best  of  their  abilities. 
There  is  some  truth  in  their  book,  the  Koran ;  but,  unfortunately, 
a  great  deal  of  lies  and  hypocrisy  as  well.  A  great  amounl  of 
immorality  and  deadness  is  found  in  their  religion,  brought 
on  not  only  by  gradual  corruption,  but  latent  in  it  from  the 
beginning.  A  great  object  with  Mohammed  was  to  have  only  one 
religion  in  Arabia,  and  that  his  religion  should  become  the  religion 
of  the  whole  world.  Now  we  Christians  have  this  same  object 
in  view  ;  viz.,  that  Christ  should  rule  supreme.  But  we  want  the 
rule  of  love  and  truth,  and  they  seek  to  rule  by  the  .-word,  and  by 


Mohammedans  of  North -West  India.  25 

false  and  unholy  doctrines.     They  succeeded  at  first  in  spreading  Rev.  a.  w. 
their  religion  from  country  to  country  by  military  conquests,  and 
try  to  spread  their  religion  now  by  spreading  the  Koran  and  its 
traditions  among  the  people. 

One  thins  in  the  Mohammedans  which  we  ought  to  imitate  Moslem 

°  °  zeal. 

is,  their  zeal  and  earnestness  to  spread  their  religion.  If  we 
could  say  that  of  every  Christian  in  London  alone,  with  its 
millions,  we  might  convert  the  whole  world.  But  are  we  earnest  1 
Do  we  look  on  this  work  amongst  Jews  and  Gentiles  as  our 
own  personal  duty  1  A  great  many  people  think  it  is  only 
the  duty  of  clergymen  or  missionaries,  but  every  Mohammedan 
believes  it  is  his  own  duty  to  spread  his  religion ;  and  so 
ought  it  to  be  among  Christians.  We  ought  to  be  striving 
Christians — striving  to  raise  the  banner  of  the  Cross  higher 
and  yet  higher  day  by  day.  A  great  many  who  are  perhaps 
Christians  themselves,  yet  lower  the  banner  of  Christ.  They 
just  want  to  know  a  little  of  Him.  He  is  not  precious  enough, 
and  so  they  bring  in  other  things — Ritual  ceremonies  and  other 
things — and  thereby  they  show  great  lukewarmness  and  weakness. 
Some  of  this  weakness  mav  also  be  found  in  Mohammedanism,  Signs  of 

J  '  weakness. 

whose  founder  intended  his  religion  to  become  a  spiritual  religion, 

but  a  great  deal  of  worldliness  and  ritualism  crept  in.     Now  they 

do  not  see  their  own  weakness,  but  they  see  ours  very  readily,  and 

often  take  offence.     Many  a  Mohammedan  in  India  has  plainly 

told  me,  "  Sir,  why  do  you  not  go  to  that  Church  and  take  down  a  reproach 

these  figures  and  images  from  the  walls'?"    The  church  referred  to  Christians. 

is  a  Romish  church.      They    say,    "Why  not  tell  your  people 

to  believe  in  Christ  1     They  believe  in  the  Virgin  Mary.     Why 

do  you  not  tell  your  own  people  not  to  work  on  Sunday  1     These 

Roman  Catholics  work."     These  things  have  to  be  met ;  we  have 

to  hear  and  answer  them. 

Another  thing  for  which  they  are  very  bold,  is  to  stand  up  for  The  prophet 
their  prophet.  When  I  went  out  to  India,  I  thought  people 
would  just  have  to  point  out  to  the  Mohammedans  the  great 
weaknesses  of  their  prophet,  his  immorality,  his  inconsistent 
teaching.  Why  in  one  place  he  tells  the  Mohammedan  to  have 
only  one  wife,  and  afterwards,  when  he  himself  fell  into  sin, 
he  permits  him  to  have  two  or  three  women,  or  even  more,  if  he 
is  a  teacher.  I  thought  if  we  told  them  these  things,  they  would 
soon  give  in  ;  but  they  do  not.  The  enthusiasm  for  their  prophet 
Mohammed  is  very  great ;    it  is   something  worthy  of  a  better 


26 


The  Jews  and  the  Mohammedans. 


Rev.  A.  W. 
Baumann. 


Hatred  of 
Jesus. 


Opposing 
efforts. 


Persecuted 
convert. 


cause.  Now  no  one  who  wants  really  to  face  sin,  either  at  home 
or  abroad,  can  make  much  impression  on  the  hearts  of  men, 
unless  he  has  a  deep  love  of  God,  and  great  enthusiasm  for 
Christ.  It  is  Christ  who  gives  us  the  victory.  His  name  is 
always  shouted  down  by  the  multitudes  who  listen.  They  say, 
"  Tell  us  about  Moses,  about  Abraham ;  but  do  not  speak  about 
Christ."  And  yet  the  great  questions  now  are  all  centering  round 
the  person  of  Christ.  How  can  He  be  the  Son  of  God  %  How 
can  His  blood  atone  for  mankind?  How  could  He  die  when 
He  was  the  Son  of  God?  These  questions  are  most  important 
indeed. 

In  India  people  are  beginning  now  to  see  that  Christ's  religion 
is  a  strong  one,  and  greater  efforts  than  ever  are  put  forward  to 
counteract  it.  "Well,  it  used  to  be  a  very  easy  thing  to  make  a 
Mohammedan ;  the  sword  was  shaken  over  a  man's  head,  and  he 
was  killed  unless  he  became  a  Mohammedan.  Nowadays  it  is  not 
quite  so  easy;  but  that  religion  is  still  increasing  in  China,  and 
in  countries  where  our  missionaries  have  not  yet  been  able  to  go, 
they  are  trying  to  bring  people  under  the  bondage  of  the  false 
prophet.  In  this  way  their  religion  increases  year  by  year ;  not 
that  they  send  out  missionaries,  but  because  every  Mohammedan 
is  a  missionary  wherever  he  goes.  He  is  earnest  and  enthusiastic, 
and  ought  not  we  who  serve  such  a  Master  to  be  earnest  also  1 

One  man  I  baptized  in  Faizabad  came  to  me  and  begged  for 
help ;  he  wanted  to  get  away  from  the  village  where  he  lived.  I 
asked  him  how  he  first  learned  about  the  truth.  He  said  he  had  got 
a  gospel.  The  Mohammedans  tried  in  vain  to  make  him  give  it  up 
by  offering  him  twenty-five  rupees  for  it,  and  tried  again  and  again 
to  induce  him  to  give  up  his  belief ;  then  they  came  to  his  wife, 
and  tried  to  induce  her  to  surrender  the  Bible  in  order  that  tin  i y 
might  burn  it.  Then  they  attacked  him  from  another  side — they 
took  away  his  bread.  The  man  earned  his  living  by  cloth-dyeing, 
and  none  would  employ  him,  and  so  he  was  reduced  to  the 
greatest  extremities.  What  was  he  to  do?  He  wanted  to  run 
off,  and  to  leave  his  family.  I  said,  "  No,  if  I  give  you  money 
it  will  be  on  condition  that  you  lake  your  family  with  you." 
Well,  he  did  leave,  and  came  out  and  became  a  Christian,  giving 
a  bright  testimony.  He  wished  to  visit  his  brother  after  his 
conversion.  I  tuld  him  to  be  careful,  and  not  to  sit  eating  and 
drinking  with  his  relations  if  they  asked  him  to  come.  He  did  go 
to  see  them;  they  a  ked  him  all  about  Christianity  and  his  belief, 


Mohammedans  of  North- West  India.  27 

and  then  gave  him  something  to  eat,  upon  which  they  took  him  to  Rev-  A-  w- 

°_  °  '     r  J  Baumann. 

a  room  which  they  locked  up.  He  soon  had  symptoms  of  having 
been  poisoned,  and  he  said,  "I  must  get  out,"  and  knocked 
loudly  at  the  door;  but  they  called  to  him,  "We  will  see  whether 
your  Christ  is  a  greater  prophet  than  ours."  So  this  man  was 
locked  up  the  whole  night  with  violent  symptoms  of  cholera, 
brought  about  by  the  poison.  He  survived  it,  however,  and  they 
let  him  go ;  but  only  after  he  had  taken  an  oath  that  he  would 
not  tell  any  Government  official  of  what  they  had  done. 

Now,  as  I  said  before,  we  ought  to  be  a  striving  church ;  but  Lov°  am\  , 

'  °  °  zeal  wanted. 

our  mission  efforts  ought  to  be  mixed  with  love,  zeal,  discretion. 
Do  we  sufficiently  realise  the  state  of  such  missionaries  as 
Dr.  Bruce,  in  Persia,  and  others  like  him  in  utter  isolation,  away 
from  all  Christian  fellowship  and  protection,  no  government  to 
back  them  up,  isolated  and  working  amongst  bitter  and  bigoted 
fanatics,  multitudes  who  are  only  too  ready  to  cry  out  against  the 
heretic  ?     Well,  the  converts  do  give  them  encouragement. 

About  a  month  ago,  when  I  was  at  Berlin,  I  visited  a  Jewish  ^bfon 
Rabbi.     After  a  long  talk  with  him  about  the  divinity  of  Christ,  the  Mahom- 

°  J  '  medans. 

he  asked  me  how  I  was  getting  on  in  India.  I  spoke  of  the 
converts  and  the  increase  of  Christianity. 

"But  do  you  make  any  Mohammedan  converts?"     He  said  he 
could  not  believe  that. 

I  asked,  "  Why  V 

And  he  replied,  "  They  believe  in  the  true  God." 

But  I  said,  "They  have  not  your  faith  unmixed  in  the  true 
God." 

It  is  not  a  pure  faith,  they  always  mix  together  their  own 
prophet  with  their  faith  in  God — they  mix  up  their  traditions. 
How  can  a  man  believe  in  God  if  he  goes  off  on  a  pilgrimage  for  f^Mocaf es 
months  to  a  prophet's  tomb,  to  bow  before  a  black  stone,  and  to 
kiss  it  as  these  people  do  1  They  have  not  submitted  to  the  real 
God,  and  are  not  spiritual  worshippers.  I  asked  the  Rabbi  if  he 
knew  what  the  name  "  Moslem  "  meant.  "  It  means  '  one  who 
submits  to  God.'  '  Islam1  means  '  self  -surrender  to  God.'"  Do 
they  do  it  1  They  have  always  trusted  to  the  sword  and  to 
political  conquest,  and  their  affections  are  set  on  things  of  this 
world,  and  not  on  God. 

The  work  there  is  going  on  then ;  only  the  workers  are  very  Oh,  for  more 

&        °  J  J   workers! 

few,  and  the  harvest  is  getting  greater  year  by  year.  Let  us 
every  one  try  to  belong  not  only   to  the  struggling  church  of 


28 


The  Jews  and  the  Mohammedans. 


Rev.  a.  w.  Christ,  but  also  to  the  striving  church  of  Christ — striving  for  the 

Baumann.  °  ° 

conversion  of  souls  to  the  honour  and  glory  of  Jesus  Christ, 
striving  and  praying  that  the  day  may  be  hastened  on  when  the 
followers  of  the  false  prophet  may  believe  in  the  Lord  Jesus,  and 
accept  Him  as  their  Prophet. 


Mr.  E.  H. 

Glenny. 


Evangeliza- 
tion of  the 
world  God' 
work. 


North 
Africa. 


The  people 

accessible. 


THE   MOHAMMEDANS   OF   NORTH   AFEICA. 

By  Mr.  E.  H.  Glenny. 

Far  back  in  the  counsels  of  eternity  God  planned  the  evangeliza- 
tion of  the  world.  In  the  fulness  of  time  He  sent  forth  His  Son 
to  die  on  the  cross,  and  thus  lay  the  foundation  for  the  evange- 
lization He  had  planned.  On  the  day  of  Pentecost  He  sent 
His  Holy  Spirit  to  empower  His  servants  to  proclaim  the  gospel 
that  He  had  provided.  We  all  know  with  what  rapidity  this 
gospel  was  spread  through  the  known  world,  and  how  Romish 
apostasy  and  Mohammedan  blight  eclipsed  it  during  the  dark 
middle  ages.  Only  within  the  last  hundred  years  has  the  Church 
begun  to  awake  again  to  the  privilege  and  responsibility  laid  upon 
her  to  gospel  all  the  nations.  Even  to-day  immense  populations, 
dwelling  in  extensive  tracts  of  country,  are  totally  uncvangelized ; 
whilst  multitudes  more  have  only  the  vaguest  idea  of  God's 
salvation. 

We  are  met  in  Conference  to  see  how  better  to  carry  out 
Christ's  command  to  evangelize  the  world.  Let  us  then  remember 
that  the  work  is  God's,  and  that  we  are  to  co-operate  with  Him, 
not  He  with  us. 

We  have  been  hearing  about  Jews  and  Mohammedans,  and  1  arq 
to  speak  to  you  of  the  people  of  North  Africa,  who  are  also 
Moslems.  On  the  map  you  see  Morocco,  Algeria,  Tunis,  Tripoli, 
and  the  Sahara.  These  immense  districts  have  a  population 
estimated  at  sixteen  millions  of  Mohammedans,  beside  one  million 
of  Jews  and  Europeans.  When  Mr.  Pearse  and  I  landed  in  Algeria, 
five  years  ago,  there  was  not  a  single  missionary  to  these  Moslem 
multitudes,  and  to-day  there  are  only  about  thirty.  Since  the 
light  of  early  Christianity  went  out  in  Moslem  night,  nearly 
forty  generations  have  lived  and  died  without  the  gospel. 

Though  followers  of  the  false  prophet,  Hum'  people  arc 
more  easy  of  access  than  their  co-religionists  in  other  lands. 
Wherever  missionaries  go  among  them,   they  are  received   with 


The  Mohammedans  of  North  Africa,  29 

kindness  and  respect.     Their  books  are  generally  accepted  ;  and  Mr.  e.  h. 

,       ,  T  i  Glenny. 

though  the  gospel  may  not  at  present  be  often  received  into  the 
heart,  it  is  listened  to,  and  must  exert  an  influence.  Even  in 
Morocco,  where  the  darkness  is  so  dense  that  it  was  supposed  that 
there  was  no  possibility  of  the  glad  tidings  being  accepted,  we 
have  received,  with  few  exceptions,  a  kindly  welcome. 

The  Mohammedans  of  North  Africa  are  divided  into  two  great  Their  reii- 

gion,  races, 

races — the  Berber  and  the  Arab.  The  Berbers  are  the  aboriginal  languages, 
race,  having  lived  there  thousands  of  years.  They  were  conquered 
by  the  Arabs,  and  by  them  compelled  to  embrace  the  Moslem 
faith.  They  may  also  be  divided  into  three  groups — the  pure 
Berbers,  who  form  about  a  quarter  of  the  population,  or  four 
millions ;  the  mixed  Berbers  and  Arabs,  numbering  about  eight 
millions ;  and  the  pure  Arabs,  who  may  be  put  down  at  four  millions 
or  less.  The  languages  which  these  races  speak  are  Arabic  and 
Berber  in  its  various  dialects  of  Kabyle,  Riff,  &c.  In  their  habits 
they  may  be  divided  into  the  sedentary  population,  dwelling  in 
towns  and  villages;  the  semi-sedentary,  who  spend  part  of  their 
time  in  the  towns  and  villages,  and  part  wandering  about  with 
their  cattle ;  and  the  nomads,  who  are  ever  on  the  move. 

To  a  certain  extent  our  work  anion"  them  must  be  regulated  The  work 

°  begun 

by   these   facts — concerning  their   religion,    race,    language,    and  among 

J  °  °        '  '  &      °  '  them. 

habits.  We  began  by  working  among  the  sedentary  tribes,  who 
inhabit  the  mountain  villages  of  Algeria,  and  are  known  as 
Kabyles,  and  later  on  entered  Morocco  and  Tunis.  At  present 
our  efforts  have  been  of  an  initial  character — learning  the 
languages,  getting  to  know  the  people,  and  showing  them  that  we 
really  love  them ;  in  fact,  sowing  the  seed  from  which  we  hope 
before  long  to  reap  an  abundant  harvest.  Thousands  of  tracts 
and  Scriptures  have  been  sold  or  given  away,  the  Gospel  of  John 
has  been  translated  and  printed  in  the  Kabyle  language  by 
the  Bible  Society,  and  some  thousands  have  heard  the  way  of 
salvation  for  the  first  time.  In  Morocco  we  have  an  entrance  into 
the  homes  of  the  people,  and  the  gospel  is  eagerly  listened  to,  and 
in  some  cases,  we  hope,  received  into  the  heart.  Our  sisters 
find  here  a  wonderful  field  of  labour,  and  many  more*  might 
do  the  same.  It  may  be  asked,  "Do  you  see  no  reason  to  be 
discouraged1?  Can  Mohammedans  be  converted1?"  A  few  weeks 
ago  I  was  asked  by  a  Protestant  in  Oran,  while  in  company  with  a 
missionary,  "Do  you  think  this  fellow  will  convert  these  Arabs V 

Our  expec- 

I  replied,  "  I  believe  God  will  through  him.    He  is  our  confidence,  tations. 


30  The  Jews  and  the  Mohammedans. 

Mr.  e.  h.     and  in  His  strength,  notwithstanding  the  difficulties,  which  we  do 

Glennv.  . 

not  wish  for  one  moment  to  under-rate,  we  do  expect  many  souls  to 
be  led  to  Christ. 
What  re-  We   must  next  consider  what   remains   to   be   done,    for   we 

mains  to  be  ...  . 

dime.  are  here  this  morning,  not  to  rest  upon  our  oars  and  congratulate 

ourselves  on  the  past,  but  to  make  plans  for  the  future.  What 
needs  to  be  done  1  If  we  could  send  two  godly  women  to  North 
Africa  to  every  ten  thousand  native  women — that  would  be  giving 
them  five  thousand  souls  each  to  care  for — we  should  need  a 
thousand  to  go  out.  Then,  if  we  were  to  put  two  brethren  to  the 
same  number  of  men,  we  should  require  a  thousand  Christian 
men.  This  would  still  leave  six  millions  of  young  people  without 
any  provision.  We  should,  at  the  same  rate,  want  rather  more 
than  another  thousand  workers  for  them.  In  all,  three  thousand 
labourers  would  be  required  for  this  wide  field. 

The  sort  of        Some   people   seem    to    think    that    suitable   missionaries   are 

missionaries  t         ■  c   i     i  i  mi 

needed.  more  plentiful  than  they  are.  There  are  many  people  anxious  to 
go  forth  as  missionaries  who  are  not  fitted  to  do  so.  Some  offer 
themselves  who  have  been  five  or  ten  years  Christians  at  home, 
and  yet  cannot  point  to  a  single  soul  they  have  led  to  Christ.  Is 
it  likely  that  with  a  change  of  climate  they  will  be  more 
successful,  and  that  they  will  be  soul-winners  abroad,  when  they 
have  failed  to  be  so  at  home  1  Surely,  if  we  are  to  be  successful 
among  Mohammedans  or  heathen,  we  must  be  spiritually-minded 
and  consecrated  men  and  woman.  "People  who  do  know  their 
God  shall  be  strong,  and  do  exploits,"  who  with  spiritual  wisdom 
can  lay  hold  of  a  soul  and  lead  it  to  Christ.  These  are  the  sort  of 
missionaries  we  want  in  North  Africa.  Physical  and  mental 
qualifications  are  no  doubt  needed  to  meet  the  fatigues  of  the 
work  and  the  climate,  and  to  cope  with  a  difficult  language  and  an 
intelligent  people;  but  the  sine  qua  non  is  spiritual  power.  For 
spiritual  work  we  must  have  spiritual  men  and  women,  otherwise 
our  efforts  will  be  a  miserable  failure. 

Perishing  at  Let  me,  in  closing,  entreat  you  to  remember  the  sixteen  millions 
of  Mohammedans  at  our  doors.  Algeria,  with  its  delightful  winter 
climate  and  lovely  scenery,  is  within  three  days'  journey  of 
London,  the  metropolis  of  the  Christian  church ;  but  its 
inhabitants  are  still  without  the  knowledge  of  Christ,  and  arc 
perishing  in  consequence. 

"  Can  we  leave  them  lost  and  lonely  ? 
Christ  is  coming,  call  them  in." 


WOMAN'S  WORK. 

Tuesday  Afternoon,  October,  5th,  1886. 


The  Chairman,  Mr.  Judd,  opened  the  proceedings  with  prayer; 
after  which  hymn  No.  40  was  sung — 

"  From  Greenland's  icy  mountains, 
From  India's  coral  strand." 

Mr.  Reginald  Radcliffe  then  offered  prayer,  and  the  opening 
address  was  qiven  on 


WOMAN'S    MINISTRY. 

By  Mr.  C.  H.  Judd. 

Will  you  look  with  me  at  a  few  passages  of  God's  word  hefore  I  Mr.  c.  h. 
call  upon  our  sisters  to  address  us  1     I  have  never,  I  believe,  in 
my  life  felt  so  unworthy  for  the  position  I  have  been  called  to 
occupy ;  and  I  may  add,  I  never  felt  it  such  a  privilege  to  take 
such  a  position. 

Now,  first  of  all,  Psalm  lxviii.  11,  which  in  the  Revised  PsaimixviH. 
Version  reads  thus:  "The  Lord  giveth  the  Word ;  and  the  women 
that  publish  the  tidings  are  a  great  host."  I  believe  it  will  be 
generally  conceded  that  that  rendering  gives  the  true  meaning  of 
the  original.  I  think  many  of  us  cannot  have  failed  to  notice 
that  God,  in  His  sovereign  grace,  uses  the  instruments  that  He 
Himself  sees  fit ;  not  those  which  we  should  think  best,  but  those 
which  He  prefers. 

Now  in  the  New  Testament  (Acts  i.  14)  we  read:  "These  all  with  the 
continued  Avith  one  accord  in  prayer  and  supplication,  with  the 
women,  and  Mary  the  mother  of  Jesus,  and  with  His  brethren." 

Then,  continuing  the  narrative,  in  the  following  chapter  we 
read  that  when  the  day  of  Pentecost  was  fully  come,  the  disciples 
"  were  all  with  one  accord  in  one  place  .  .  .  and  they  were  all 


32 


Woman* s  Work. 


Mr.  c.  H. 

JUDD. 


Men  and 

women 

together 

playing. 


Filled  with 
the  Spirit. 


Men  and 
women  re- 
ceive the 
Spirit  for 
the  purpose 
of  prophesy, 


Ponr 

daughters 
of  Philip. 


filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  began  to  speak  with  other  tongues, 
as  the  Spirit  gave  them  utterance." 

The  men  and  women  were  there  together,  praying  together, 
walking  together,  filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost  together,  speaking 
with  tongues  together,  the  Spirit  of  God  giving  them  utterance 
together.  So  they  had  a  wonderful  public  meeting  on  the  day  of 
Pentecost.  But  the  multitude  began  to  complain,  saying  they 
were  drunk — "filled  with  new  wine."  You  will  remember  the 
injunction  in  Ephesians,  where  it  is  said,  "Be  not  drunk  with 
wine,  wherein  is  excess;  but  be  filled  with  the  Spirit."  We  know 
how  wonderfully  similar  are  the  natural  symptoms  in  both  cases — 
gladness,  joy,  merriment,  excitement,  supernatural  power  com- 
pletely taking  possession  of  the  man.  It  is  perhaps  no  wonder 
the  people  thought  they  were  drunk.  But  what  did  Peter  say  1 
"These  [men  and  women,  speaking  in  public,  and  praising  God] 
are  not  drunken,  as  ye  suppose."  He  maintains  that  it  has  come 
to  pass  what  the  prophet  Joel  foretold  when  he  said,  "It  shall 
come  to  pass  in  the  last  days,  saith  God,  I  will  pour  out  of  my 
Spirit  upon  all  flesh,  and  your  sons  and  your  daughters  shall 
prophesy  .  .  .  and  on  my  servants  and  on  my  handmaidens  I  will 
pour  out  in  those  days  of  my  Spirit,  and  they  shall  prophesy." 
Notice,  not  merely  sons,  but  sons  and  daughters — "  Your  sons  and 
daughters."  There  was  no  "  women's  meeting."  You  never  read 
of  such  a  thing  in  the  New  Testament.  It  is  altogether  a  modern 
invention,  so  far  as  I  know.  Anyhow,  there  was  no  separation  at 
Pentecost;  for  they  were  all  together,  praying,  filled  with  the 
Holy  Ghost,  and  speaking  with  tongues. 

Now  let  us  ask,  Does  the  Word  of  God  anywhere  contradict 
this?  Surely  the  Holy  Ghost  will  never  go  back  on  His  own 
statement,  that  daughters,  as  well  as  sons,  are  to  prophesy.  He 
makes  no  distinction  as  to  sex,  so  far  as  I  can  see. 

Let  us  look  further.  What  do  we  find  in  Ads  xxi.  9?  We 
find  the  four  daughters  of  Philip,  the  evangelist,  prophesying. 
Does  the  apostle  Pan]  express  disapproval  '.'  Ee  does  not.  Instead 
of  that,  he  stayed  "many  days"  at  the  place  where  these  virgins 
were  prophesying. 

Then  let  us  go  on  a  little  further,  to  Paul's  epistles,  in  which 

imagine  thai  he  forbids  the  ministry  of  women.     You  will 

find,  on  candid  examination,  he  does  no  such  thing  ;  it  is  the  very 

reverse.     In  the  church  at  Corinth  there  appears  to  have  been 

some  disorder,  and  the  apostle  desires  to  set  them  right.     1  Cor. 


Woman's  Ministry.  33 

x.  xi.  are  f  ully  taken  up  with  order  in  the  church  and  the  regula-  Mr-  c.  H. 

.  .  JUDD. 

tions  of  the  Lord's  tahle.  Right  in  the  middle  of  these,  what  do 
we  find  1  The  apostle  telling  the  women  they  are  not  to  prophesy  At  the 
and  pray  in  public  1  No  ;  on  the  contrary,  he  tells  them  how  they 
are  to  do  it — "  Every  man  praying  or  prophesying,  having  his  head 
covered,  dishonoureth  his  head ;  but  every  woman  that  prayeth  or 
prqphesieth  with  her  head  uncovered  dishonoureth  her  head."  The 
apostle  simply,  as  it  seems  to  me,  regulates  the  matter.  If  a 
woman  wanted  to  pray  or  prophecy  in  her  own  chamber,  it 
mattered  nothing  how  she  was  attired ;  but  if  she  prophesies  in 
public,  she  must  have  her  head  covered,  in  token  of  subjection  to 
her  husband. 

Now  let  us  look  at  two  other  passages  in  Paul's  epistles,  which 
are  generally  supposed  to  be  decisive  against  the  practice  of  women 
prophesying.  He  has  told  women  how  they  are  to  pray  or 
prophesy  when  at  the  Lord's  table ;  will  the  Holy  Ghost  contra- 
dict Himself  a  few  chapters  further  on  1     Surely  not.     In  1  Cor.  Women  not 

1  J  to  be  talking 

xiv.  34,  35,  He  says,  "Let  your  women  keep  silence  in  the  and  chatter- 
churches  :  for  it  is  not  permitted  unto  them  to  speak ;  but  they  churches. 
are  commanded  to  be  under  obedience,  as  also  saith  the  law.  And 
if  they  will  learn  any  thing,  let  them  ask  their  husbands  at  home : 
for  it  is  a  shame  for  women  to  speak  in  the  church."  May  I  ask 
you  to  consider  this  passage  in  its  more  literal  translation  %  If  I 
may  give  to  this  word  "  speak  "  one  of  its  meanings,  the  first  one 
given  by  Liddell  and  Scott,  it  is  (AaAetv)  to  "chatter  or  talk." 
Hence  the  meaning  is,  they  are  not  permitted  to  be  talking  in  the 
church,  but  to  keep  silence.  If  they  would  learn  further  about 
any  matters,  let  them  ask  their  husbands  at  home,  because  it  is  a 
shameful  thing  for  women  to  be  talking  or  chattering  in  the 
churches.  I  have  spoken  to  many  persons  familiar  with  India,  An  Eastern 
China,  Syria,  and  other  Eastern  lands,  and  I  have  found  all  con- 
vinced of  the  reasonableness  of  the  injunction.  In  those  lands, 
where  women  have  no  education,  they  go  into  the  chapels  and 
sit  in  groups,  talking  and  chattering  together,  and  sometimes 
asking  questions  of  the  most  ridiculous  kind.  This,  the  apostle 
says,  they  must  not  do.  A  lady  from  Syria,  who  is  here  a  lady's 
present,  says  she  has  seen  it  again  and  again.  The  command 
of  the  apostle  therefore  has  no  reference  at  all  to  women's 
exercise  of  the  gift  of  prophecy  or  of  prayer;  it  simply  deals 
with  this  inconvenient  practice  so  common  among  the  uneducated 
women  in  the  East. 


34 


Woman's  Work, 


Mr,  C.  H. 

JUDD. 


1  Tim.  i.  8-12 

a  family  (not 
a  church) 
matter 
between 

husbands 
and  wives. 


A  promise 
to  a  wife. 


What  is  pro- 
phesying? 


Now  take  another  passage,  also  supposed  to  forbid  women's 
ministry  (1  Tim.  i.  8-12):  "But  we  know  that  the  law  is  good, 
if  a  man  use  it  lawfully ;  knowing  this,  that  the  law  is  not  made 
for  a  righteous  man,  but  for  the  lawless  and  disobedient,  for 
the  ungodly  and  for  sinners,  for  unholy  and  profane,  for  murderers 
of  fathers  and  murderers  of  mothers,  for  manslayers,  for  whore- 
mongers, for  them  that  defile  themselves  with  mankind,  for 
menstealers,  for  liars,  for  perjured  persons,  and  if  there  be 
any  other  thing  that  is  contrary  to  sound  doctrine ;  according 
to  the  glorious  gospel  of  the  blessed  God,  which  was  committed 
to  my  trust.  And  I  thank  Christ  Jesus  our  Lord,  who  hath 
enabled  me,  for  that  He  counted  me  faithful,  putting  me  into  the 
ministry." 

Let  me  remind  you,  though  probably  you  know  it  already,  that 
the  words  here  translated  "men"  and  "women"  are  from  the 
same  Greek  words  which  mean  "husband"  and  "wife;"  the  only 
way  of  distinguishing  them  is  by  the  context.  If  you  turn 
to  1  Peter  iii.  1,  you  will  find  the  same  words  in  the  Greek 
translated  "husband"  and  "wife:"  "Likewise,  ye  wives,  be 
in  subjection  to  your  own  husbands."  From  a  comparison  of  the 
two  passages,  Ave  shall  find  there  is  no  difficulty  about  this  matter. 
The  last  verse  of  the  chapter  in  Timothy  (chap,  i.)  settles  the 
question  to  my  mind  completely:  "She" — that  is,  the  wife — 
"shall  be  saved  in  childbearing,  if  they  continue  in  faith  and 
love  and  sanctification  with  sobriety."  "  They  "  refers  not  to  man 
and  woman  indiscriminately,  but  to  the  husband  and  wife.  "  She 
shall  be  saved  in  childbearing,"  that  is  God's  promise  to  the  wife 
as  a  wife;  and  the  command  that  she  is  not  to  usurp  or  domineer 
over  her  husband.  The  question  of  prophesying  in  the  Church  is 
never  raised  at  all,  for  "in  Christ  Jesus  there  is  neither  male  nor 
female."  (Gal.  iii.  28.) 

Let  us  take  one  more  passage.  We  have  already  referred 
to  the  prophecy  in  Joel,  where  there  is  the  promise  that  the  sons 
and  daughters  alike  should  prophecy  when  the  Holy  Ghost  should 
fall  upon  them.  But  what  is  prophesying?  Is  it  for  the  un- 
converted, or  for  believers?  "He  that  prophesieth  speaketh  unto 
men  to  edification,  and  exhortation,  and  comfort."  (1  Cor.  xiv.  3.) 
If  God  puts  the  Holy  Ghost  into  a  woman  for  prophecy,  it  is 
to  edify  the  Church.  Let  us  be  very  careful  we  do  not  hinder 
that  edification. 

There  are  some  thirty  or  forty  passages  of  scripture  on  this 


Woman's  Ministry.  35 

subject,  and  they  are  all  on  the  same  side.     There  are  only  two  Mr-  c.  h. 

JODD. 

that  are  apparently  against  it,  and,  as  we  have  seen,  one  of 
them,  and  the  most  important,  refers  not  to  teaching,  hut  to 
foolish  or  needless  talking  in  the  public  assembly.  Nowhere  is 
a  woman  forbidden  to  pray  or  prophesy,  but  it  is  assumed  that 
she  will  pray  and  prophesy  both  in  the  church  and  at  the  Lord's 
table. 

Now   do   we   find   any   examples   of    women   prophesying   in  Old  Testa- 
the  Bible1?     You  know  we  do.     We  have  the  case  of  Miriam,  ampies. 
Eemember,    the   word   prophesy   does   not    necessarily   mean   to 
foretell.     John  the  Baptist  was  the  greatest  of  the  prophets,  and 
yet  he  did  not  mainly  foretell.     To  prophesy  means  simply  to 
speak  the  message  given  by  God.     Hannah  went  into  the  temple  Hannah's 
to   pray ;    and   the   only   complaint   against    her   was,    not   that 
she  prayed  too  loud,  but  that  she  did  not  pray  audibly.     When 
king  Josiah  was  in  trouble  about  his  kingdom,  he  sent  to  enquire 
the  mind  of    the  Lord  of  one  Huldah,  a  prophetess.    (2  Kings 
xxii.    14.)      Then   the   great   Apollos,    a    man    mighty    in    the  Apoiios 
Scriptures,  knew  little  of  the  full  gospel.     Whom  did  God  use  to  a  woman. 
teach  him  1     Priscilla,  as  well  as  Aquila.     Paul  speaks  of  certain 
women  as  his  fellow-labourers  in  the  gospel  (see  Phil.  iv.  3) ;  and 
Junia,  a  woman,  is  of  note  among  the  apostles.  (Kom.  xvi.  7.) 

I  believe  the  devil  has  too  long  blinded  our  eyes,    so   that  Eyes 

°  J      '  blinded. 

we  have  for  centuries  bound  up  one  of  the  most  powerful  arms  of 
the  church  of  God.  Peter  was  baptized  by  the  Holy  Ghost,  but 
even  after  that  God  had  to  give  him  a  special  revelation,  in  order 
to  open  his  eyes,  that  the  Gentiles  might  be  brought  in.  It  seems 
as  if  the  churches  of  God  in  this  century  need  to  have  the 
scales  taken  from  their  eyes,  that  they  may  see  that  God 
wants  women  to  prophesy  in  the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 
Shall  we  not  endeavour  to  break  down  the  barriers  which  God 
has  never  set  up,  but  which  Satan  has  put  in  the  way  1 

JSTow   look   for   a   moment   at   Christian    experience.      Whom 
do  we   find  doing  the  greatest  work  amongst  our  soldiers  and 
sailors'?     There  is  a  remarkable  work  among  seamen  in  China, 
and  the  experience  of    all  who  know  it  is,  that  five  men  are  <30d  usino. 
converted   through  the  women   for   one   converted  through  the  theconver- 
men.      The  same,   I  believe,   may  be  said  of    the  work  among  ^"1?^  of 
soldiers  at  the  Cape,  Gibraltar,  Malta,  and  elsewhere.     Does  God  saji°rsand 
use  improper  instruments  in  His  work1?     Surely  not.     The  Holy 
Ghost  is  not  bound  down  to  one  way  of  working.     Let  us  take 

i)  2 


36 


Woman's  Work 


Mr.  C.  H. 

JUDD. 


"Quench 
not  the 
Spirit." 


care  that  in  this  matter  we  are  not  quenching  the  Spirit  of  God. 
I  know  of  one  church  in  Scotland  which  silenced  a  dear  sister. 
What  was  the  consequence1?  God  has  pretty  well  shut  out  the 
blessing  from  that  church  ever  since.  I  think  there  has  hardly 
been  a  conversion  since  that  time.  God  will  not  have  His  Holy 
Spirit  quenched.  "  Quench  not  the  Spirit.  Despise  not  prophesy  - 
ings."  Let  us  cling  to  God,  be  true  to  His  word,  and  He  will 
clear  away  this  obstacle  to  the  progress  of  His  kingdom. 
At  the  close  of  the  address  hymn  No.  31  was  sung — 

"  Oft  in  sorrow,  oft  in  woe, 
Onward,  Christians,  onward  go." 


Miss 

KlCKETTS. 


Our  Lord's 
last  com- 
mand. 


How 
obeyed. 


Ten  hundred 
millions  I 


THE    WOMEN    OF    CHINA. 

By  Miss  Kicketts. 

When  the  Lord  Jesus  ascended  into  heaven,  He  left  one  last 
command  to  His  faithful  followers  concerning  the  world  of  human 
beings  for  whom  He  died.  It  was  this:  "Go  ye  into  all  the 
world,  and  preach  the  gospel  to  every  creature."  And  so  difficult 
did  He  deem  the  work,  that  He  gave  to  those  called  upon  to 
carry  it  out  a  promise  for  all  time  of  His  continual  presence — "  Lo, 
I  am  with  you  alway,  unto  the  end  of  the  world."  It  has  been 
said  that  "God's  commands  are  His  enablings;"  but  here  is  a 
command  to  do  a  hard  thing,  and  with  it  a  promise  that  might 
well  inspire  the  feeblest  of  His  loyal  servants  to  go  to  the  ends 
of  the  earth,  since  He  has  promised  to  be  their  convoy. 

We  are  here  to-day  to  ask  how  this  command  of  Jesus  Christ 
has  been  obeyed.  I  believe  I  am  correct  in  saying  that  the 
churches  have  delegated  the  work  to  large  societies  of  individual 
Christians.  Missions  to  heathen  nations  have  not  been  felt  by 
the  churches  to  be  one  of  the  chief  objects  of  their  existence. 
Our  Master  ascended  into  heaven,  leaving  us  a  definite  work  of 
paramount  importance  to  do.  This  work  most  of  the  churches,  as 
churches,  have  overlooked,  and  concerned  themselves  with  other 
matters  nearer  at  hand,  and  making  more  immediate  demands  upon 
their  attention. 

Partly  as  a  consequence  of  this  neutrality  on  the  part  of  the 
churches,  as  churches,  ten  hundred  millions  of  heathen  and 
Mohammedan  people  still  remain  in  gross  darkness;  while  the 
number  gathered  out  of  these  during  a  hundred  years  of  labour 


The  Women  of  China.  37 

on  the  part  of  missionaries  is  only  some  three  millions — as  many  Miss 

a  1  •  RlCKETTS. 

as  could  have  been  reasonably  expected,  considering  the  means  at 
the  disposal  of  the  various  societies.  The  money  contributed  for 
missions  to  all  the  societies  of  the  United  Kingdom  as  yet 
only  amounts  to  somewhat  over  £1,000,000  per  annum ;  while 
£124,000,000  is  annually  expended  on  beer,  spirits,  and  wine; 
£13,000,000  on  tobacco  and  snuff;  and  £12,000,000  on  amuse- 
ments. "We  hear  much  about  the  depression  of  trade ;  but, 
notwithstanding  that  depression,  there  would  appear  to  be  large 
sums  of  money  forthcoming  for  purposes  of  self-indulgence,  yet 
the  contributions  towards  the  gracious  purpose  which  the  Lord 
has  in  His  mind  towards  men  of  all  nations  form  but  a 
hundred  and  forty-ninth  part  of  these.  May  we  not  therefore 
feel  that  the  Lord  is  saying  to  our  nation,  "  Consider  your  ways. 
Ye  have  sown  much,  and  bring  in  little ;  ye  eat,  but  ye  have 
not  enough ;  ye  looked  for  much,  and,  lo,  it  came  to  little ;  and 
when  ye  brought  it  home,  I  did  blow  upon  it.  Why  1  saith  the 
Lord  of  hosts.     Because  of  Mine  house  that  lieth  waste"? 

This  was  the  case  in  the  time  of  Haggai  the  prophet ;  and  may  His  house 
it  not  be,  beloved  friends,  that  God  is  calling  loudly  to  us  in  this  w 
national  depression  and  distress,  because  of  "  His  house  that  lieth 
waste  " — not  the  material  building  on  which  we  spend  possibly  too 
much  in  needless  elaborations,  but  the  temple  which  is  being 
built  of  living  stones  from  every  land  rising  slowly  over  all  the 
earth — rising,  but  hardly  yet  visible  above  the  ground.  The 
wall  of  Jerusalem  was  once  built  under  almost  overwhelming 
difficulties,  and  the  secret  of  that  grand  success  was  that  "  the 
people  had  a  mind  to  work."  That  work,  we  are  told,  was  great 
and  large,  and  the  people  were  separated  far  from  one  another; 
but  they  wrought  in  the  work,  and  though  strength  was  decayed, 
and  there  was  much  rubbish,  and  enemies  were  legion,  that  work 
was  accomplished ;  and  should  we  flinch  or  quail  when  our  work 
is  the  building  of  the  temple  of  God  that  lieth  fourscpiare  towards 
the  four  winds  of  heaven  1 

God  is  calling  us  in  this  nineteenth  century  to  a  new  crusade.  A  new 

°  d  crusade. 

He  is  bidding  us  lay  life  and  treasure  aside,  and  go  to  the  rescue 
of  the  holy  places.  Every  heart,  whether  it  beats  in  the  breast 
of  Englishmen  or  Chinamen,  may  be  a  shrine  purchased  by  the 
Lord's  death,  though  now  in  the  hands  of  the  evil  one.  Let  us 
arise  in  the  might  of  a  true  consecration  to  God,  and  give  our- 
selves no  rest  until  we  find  out  a  resting-place  for  our  God  in  the 


38 


Woman's  Work. 


Much  land 
to  be  pos- 
sessed. 


Miss  hearts  of  the  peoples  of  distant  nations.    Our  consecration  to  God 

RlCKETTS.  L         A 

means,  if  we  do  walk  along  the  lines  of  His  will,  if  the  Church 
is  really  consecrated,  that  the  world  will  feel  the  pulse  of  a 
new  life  throbbing  in  all  its  enervated  existence.  Consecration 
does  not  mean  living  upon  the  corporate  religious  life  of  others, 
singing  sweet  hymns  and  feeling  holy  emotions,  moving  the 
soul.  It  means,  as  I  look  at  it  after  long  sojourn  in  a  heathen 
land,  in  brief,  crucifixion  and  resurrection,  the  result  of  a  new 
God-breathed  spiritual  life  that  will  sustain  in  us  a  divine  energy 
for  laborious  and  disagreeable  work.  If  we  wish  for  the  constant 
presence  of  our  Lord  we  must  obey  His  last  commandment,  go 
and  make  disciples  of  all  nations. 

Two  texts  have  been  in  my  mind  all  the  weeks  that  this 
subject  has  been  occupying  my  thoughts  in  view  of  this  gathering  ; 
namely,  "There  remaineth  very  much  land  to  be  possessed;"  and, 
"Hitherto  hath  the  Lord  helped  us."  It  seems  to  me  that  the 
evangelization  of  the  world  is  embraced  in  the  plane  of  these  texts. 
Much  to  be  done  it  is  true,  but  there  is  great  encouragement  to 
rise  up  and  do  it.  Heaven  is  the  land  of  far  distances,  and  Ave 
need  to  accustom  our  narrow  range  of  sight  to  its  far-reaching 
vistas.  Let  us  not  bound  our  vision  by  the  horizon  of  Great  or 
even  Greater  Britain,  but  let  us  look  upon  the  whole  round  earth, 
and  remember  how  for  centuries  England  has  been  singing,  "  God 
shall  bless  us,  and  all  the  ends  of  the  earth  shall  fear  Him." 
China's  cry  Think  of  China  for  a  moment,  remembering  that  every  third 
man  in  the  world's  population  is  a  Chinaman,  and  look  for  a  brief 
space  at  the  social  misery.  No  heathen  woman  in  South  China 
would  think  it  necessary  to  rear  more  than  two  female  children ; 
they  have  frequently  told  me  so.  Forty  women  who  were 
questioned  by  a  friend  of  mine  owned  to  having  destroyed 
between  them  seventy-eight  of  their  daughters.  The  poor  little 
female  children  who  arc  spared  are  all  maimed  by  the  cruel 
practice  of  foot-binding.  The  Hakka  people,  to  their  honour  be 
it  spoken,  do  not  bind  their  female  children's  feet;  but  in  the 
Hoklo  speaking  district  of  the  province  of  Canton,  in  which  I 
live,  and  in  all  China,  north,  south,  and  central,  all  the  heathen 
women  bind  their  female  children's  feet,  and  many  Christian 
mothers  find  it  difficult  to  stand  against  the  pressure  of  tins  cruel 
custom,  because  a  woman  whose  feet  are  unbound  is  always 
reckoned  to  belong  to  a  class  of  disreputable  women,  and  treated 
accordingly.     Children  sometimes   die   under    the    agony  of  the 


I  ['  ;il  In  1 1 
cruelties 


The  Women  of  China.  39 

pain.  A  Chinese  pastor  at  Ningpo  says :  "In  speaking  of  the  Miss 
miseries  of  foot-binding  there  is  no  end.  The  daughter  cries 
with  a  bitter  cry,  and  sheds  tears  till  the  bystander's  heart  is 
very  sad;  but  the  parents  are  as  if  deaf.  They  beat  her  and 
pierce  her  with  needles,  they  use  violent  strength  in  drawing  the 
bandages,  they  compel  her  to  walk  in  the  day  with  incomparable 
pain,  and  to  sleep  at  night  with  no  possibility  of  rest." 

The  poor  girl's  miseries  are  not  ended  with  this  torture.  As  Unhappy 
soon  as  she  is  of  a  marriageable  age  she  is  subjected  to  a  marriage 
arranged  for  her  without  any  consultation  of  her  feelings.  All 
marriages  are  contracted  by  the  parents  with  the  assistance  of  a 
female  go-between,  who  receives  a  fee  on  completion  of  the  contract. 
The  daughter  is  treated  in  her  own  mother's  house  with  but 
scanty  affection,  because  it  will  ultimately  be  her  lot  to  go  into 
another  family  at  her  marriage.  She  is  called  a  "  runaway  child  " 
(tsaic  Kia'n),  and  little  love  is  bestowed  upon  her  by  her  own 
parents.  She  is  married  off  to  get  back  as  much  as  may  be 
possible  of  the  money  spent  upon  her  in  childhood,  and  after 
marriage,  if  disliked  by  her  husband,  is  sold  again  by  him  to  some 
other  man.  Girls  have  not  infrequently  been  known  to  drown  Loveless 
themselves  to  avoid  this  loveless,  hateful  marriage-tie.  Three 
girls  known  to  me  made  a  resolution  to  drown  themselves,  but 
were  happily  hindered  in  carrying  out  their  purpose  by  an  old 
man  who  knew  them.  Seven  others  made  a  compact  to  drown 
themselves  together;  four  were  hindered  by  circumstances,  but 
the  other  three  tied  their  wrists  together,  and  threw  themselves 
into  a  pond,  where  their  bodies  were  afterwards  found.  Six  girls, 
living  in  a  village  near  Swatow,  three  married  and  three 
unmarried,  dressed  themselves  in  festal  garments,  and  binding 
themselves  together  with  a  rope,  threw  themselves  into  the  sea. 
All  were  drowned.  Of  the  married  girls,  one  was  married  to  an 
opium  smoker,  one  to  a  gambler,  and  the  third  had  a  cruel 
mother-in-law.  Of  course  these  are  extreme  cases,  but  not  by  any 
means  so  infrequent  as  could  be  wished. 

In  extreme  old  a^e,  unless  her  children  are  really  fdial — a  rare  Aged 

°  women. 

case — the  aged  woman  is  made  to  feel  that  she  is  a  burden — eating 
rice,  yet  doing  nothing  towards  earning  it.  She  is  kept  on 
low  diet,  and  much  neglected.  If  she  is  helpless  from  sickness, 
she  lies  and  tosses  on  her  bed,  wishing  herself  out  of  her  misery ; 
but  having  no  light,  and  knowing  nothing  about  a  future  state, 
she  cannot  welcome  death  as  a  happy  release,  and  so  her  misery 


40  Woman's  Work. 

M'ss  is  extreme.      I  cannot  forget,   if    I   would,    how   such   helpless 

RlCKETTS.  °  r 

creatures  have  clung  to  me  as  I  have  passed  through  their  villages, 
and  they  have  for  a  hrief  moment  hoped  that  deliverance  had 
come,  as  they  eagerly  drank  up  the  kind  words  or  smile  of 
greeting  that  I  was  glad  to  give  them.  They  have  held  me  with 
all  the  intensity  their  weakness  coidd  manifest,  unwilling  to 
loosen  their  grasp  of  the  only  personality  that  seemed  to  bring 
hope  near  to  them.  Ah,  friends,  if  Ave  could  feel  the  clinging  to  a 
lone,  despairing  human  soul,  you  must  be  assenting  to  leave  your 
pleasant  homes,  and  go  to  do  your  share  in  bringing  the  love- 
light  of  the  gospel  into  that  benighted  land  ! 

I  have  said  enough  to  prove  to  you  that  heathenism  is  not  a 

lovely  state  of  Arcadian  simplicity;  on  the  contrary,  the  heathen 

have  no  hope,  being  without  God  in  the  world.     They  "walk 

the  starless  road  of  death  uncomforted,"  lost  to  the  kindred  points 

Thirty-five    0f    heaven   and   of    home.      Noble-hearted    Christian   men    and 

years  work. 

women  have  been  working  in  Southern  China  for  the  last  thirty- 
five  years ;  and  the  results,  I  feel  bound  to  say,  are  more  than 
could  have  been  expected  from  the  small  number  of  agents  in  the 
field  at  the  commencement  of  the  work.  Indeed,  for  the  first 
twenty  years  the  work  was  carried  on  by  a  few  missionaries, 
whose  efforts  were  rendered  all  the  more  efficient  by  the  labours 
of  their  wives  in  the  same  cause.  During  the  last  eight  years,  in 
the  Swatow  region  only,  the  entire  church  membership  has  more 
than  doubled;  and  we  may  expect  the  increase  to  be  proportionately 
greater,  now  that  the  church  has  ceased  to  be  only  a  handful 
of  people,  and  become  a  numerous  and  organized  body,  with 
regularly-appointed  ollice-bearers  and  church  courts. 
christian         As  to  Christian  life  among  the  church  members,  it  is  probably 

life. 

found  in  about  tin/  same  proportion  as  among  ourselves.  A 
goodly  number  of  members  in  each  church  are  respectable  church- 
goers, but  not  highly  spiritual  persons;  a  few  in  most  of  the 
village  stations  an;  devoted  and  earnest  people.  We  long  and 
pray  for  more  life  and  vigour. 

The  Christian  life  of  the  church  will  be  considerably  developed 
win 'ii  we  are  able  to  give  the  people  some  version  of  the  Scriptures 
in  their  own  vernacular  tongue,  ami  to  teach  them  to  read  such  a 
version  with  some  measure  of  fluency  and  correctness.  Three  of 
our  missionaries,  among  other  arduous  Labours,  are  now  employed 
in  translating  the  New  Testament  ;  and  I  hope  for  a  new  and 
quickened  life  for  the  whole  native  church   when   we,   by  this 


The  Women  of  China.  41 

means,    secure   a   wider   diffusion   of    the    knowledge   of    God's Miss 

°  RlCKETTS. 

good  word. 

In  the  meantime  our  female  evangelists,  seven  in  number,  are  Female 

.  evangelists. 

going  about  from  station  to  station  teaching  the  people  to  read 
sheet  tracts  and  portions  of  the  Bible,  prepared  in  colloquial 
characters.  This  is  a  beginning,  and  will  be  useful  as  a  means  of 
getting  the  people  trained  in  habits  of  attention  and  study.  The 
British  and  Foreign  Bible  Society  has  lately  given  a  great  impetus 
to  this  work  by  their  liberal  grants  to  native  Bible -women,  and 
their  printed  enquiries  into  the  manner  in  which  their  gift  is 
used.  I  feel  that  this  new  departure  will  give  an  increased 
stimulus  to  all  the  ladies  who  are  directing  the  labours  of  Bible- 
women,  and  the  result  will  probably  be  a  vast  increase  of  direct 
teaching  of  the  word  of  God. 

We  should  feel  encouraged  to  go  forward  in  the  work  of  the 
evangelization  of  one-third  of  the  human  race,  by  the  inspiring 
thought  that  we  have  been  marvellously  helped  by  God.  Forty 
years  ago  China  was  practically  shut  out  from  the  rest  of  the 
civilized  world.  To-day  the  missionaries  of  all  the  great  societies 
have  access  to  the  whole  country,  can  always  get  a  crowd  of 
curious  listeners,  and  have  their  ear  if  they  are  earnest,  patient, 
and  good-tempered.  We  have  the  opportunity  itloav  to  broadcast 
the  seed,  and  we  ought  to  embrace  the  opportunity.  God  only 
knows  how  long  it  may  last.  The  door  now  open  may  be  shut  Open  doors, 
again,  and  "the  mill  cannot  grind  with  the  water  that  has 
passed."  The  souls  of  a  people  with  splendid  possibilities  in 
their  nature  are  dying  in  the  dark,  while  some  of  you  dear  English 
sisters  are  working  among  your  oavii  people,  and  enjoying  as  your 
work  the  highest  of  Christian  privileges,  and  the  choicest  means 
of  grace.  Might  not  some  of  you  who  have  been  thus  trained 
and  educated  for  dealing  with  souls  leave  your  work  here  in  the 
hands  of  God,  and  go  forth  to  those  who  are  sitting  in  the  dark- 
ness that  may  be  felt,  that  awful  darkness  that  will  soon  settle 
down  upon  them  for  evermore1?  "Hath  not  God  commanded 
them  %  Be  strong  and  of  a  good  courage  .  .  .  for  the  Lord  thy  God 
is  with  thee,  whithersoever  thou  goest." 

Think  how  the  Lord  has  blessed  His  servants  in  China  !    In  our  The  Chinese 

converts. 

mission  alone,  in  Southern  China  and  Singapore,  there  are  5268 
church  members,  adults  and  children;  to  say  nothing  of  the 
number  who  are  scattered  about  the  country  half  persuaded, 
secretly  believing,   coming  gradually  towards    the   light,   having 


42 


Woman's  Work. 


Miss 

RlCKETTS. 


A  golden 
harvest. 


The  burden 
of  the 
heathen. 


heard  the  faithful  preaching  of  native  brothers  in  the  hospitals 
and  elsewhere,  and  sometimes  after  long  years  coming  hack  to  ask 
for  baptism.  Think  of  the  bitter  persecutions  willingly,  nay, 
cheerfully,  endured  even  by  weak  and  helpless  women;  of  the 
money  contributed  out  of  extreme  and  grinding  poverty ;  of  the 
willingness  of  native  converts  to  tell  the  sweet  story  of  Christ, 
and  say  if  the  Lord  has  not  been  fulfilling  to  us  His  gracious 
promise  of  being  "with  us  all  the  days."  If  He  is  so  faithful, 
Oh,  beloved  friends,  let  us  be  loyal  to  Him  and  His  orders,  and  let 
us  enter  as  we  have  never  yet  done  into  His  mighty  purposes  of 
salvation  to  our  race.  A  golden  harvest  after  the  toiling  day 
awaits  each  faithful  labourer.  Who  will  go  and  strike  for  victory 
that  awaits  our  King  and  His  host?  Well  now  the  banners  of 
the  dragon  float  over  fort  and  battlement,  fit  emblems  of  the 
subjection  of  China  to  the  powers  of  darkness.  Let  us  not 
despair  because  we  have  overlooked,  perhaps  from  its  very 
simplicity,  the  command  He  gave  us.  God  answers  us  by  our 
gathering  here  to-day,  and  in  Liverpool,  Manchester,  Newcastle, 
and  other  places;  and  by  the  presence  of  many  heathen  among 
us,  and  the  consequent  attention  called  to  them,  that  He  is  going 
to  cause  His  Church  to  arise  and  shine,  to  give  her  vineyards 
far  away,  and  the  valley  of  Achor  for  a  door  of  hope.  He  will 
cause  her  to  bind  as  ornaments  upon  her  bridal  attire,  in  which 
she  is  getting  ready  to  meet  her  coming  King,  the  heathen  nations 
to  be  His  inheritance,  and  the  far  China  of  our  love  to  be  His 
possession. 

Dear  friends,  I  thank  you  very  much  for  listening  so  patiently 
and  quietly.  May  the  Lord  indeed  lay  the  heathen  upon  your 
hearts ;  may  the  burden  of  the  heathen  press  upon  you.  Just 
remember,  there  arc;  1,200,000,000  of  heathen  sitting  in  darkness, 
and  only  3,000,000  rescued;  very  much  land  remains  to  be 
possessed.  But  at  the  same  time  do  not  forget  that  "hitherto 
hath  the  Lord  helped  us."  If  the  Lord  puts  it  upon  any  of 
your  hearts  to  go  out  and  labour  among  tin-  heathen,  I  am  quite 
sure  that  He  who  has  said,  "He  that  giveth  to  the  poor  lendeth 
to  the  Lord,"  will  give  you  a  blessing;  for  the  poor,  the  pooresl 
of  the  poor,  are  those  without  God,  and  without  hope  in  the 
world. 


After  prayer  by  Mr.  II.  M.  Barnett  and  Mr.  C.  II.  Judd,  we 
had  the  following  address  on 


Women  of  Syria.  43 


WOMEN    OF    SYEIA. 

By  Miss  Poulton. 

Christian  Friends, — We  have  been  hearing  of  large  countries  Miss 
calling  for  a  very  large  number  of  workers.  Now  I  have  to  tell 
you  of  a  small  country,  but  one  which  also  needs  workers.  It  is  The 
besides  a  country  which  must  stir  up  our  interest.  It  is  the  land 
in  which  our  Lord  lived,  and  from  which  the  light  shone  out  that 
points  us  on  to  heaven,  and  yet  a  land  over  which  darkness  now 
reigns.  Many  there  are  in  that  darkness  of  Mohammedanism 
of  which  we  have  heard  so  much  to-day ;  and  many  in  still  more 
dangerous  darkness,  calling  themselves  Christians,  and  yet  not 
even  knowing  the  name  of  Christ.  It  is  there  we  want  to  send 
those  who  shall  take  the  glad  tidings  of  salvation.  The  special  its  need, 
work  we  want  is  work  among  women ;  for  if  Mohammedans  are  to 
be  reached,  and  really  blessed,  it  must  be  by  women.  Not  long 
ago  a  governor  in  Syria  said,  "  Syria  has  never  been  great  because 
her  sons  have  never  had  mothers."  And  that  is  just  what  is 
wanted — mothers  to  bring  up  their  children  in  the  fear  of  the 
Lord. 

Now  what  is  being  done  with  this  object  in  view  ?     There  are  Agencies  at 

°  . J  work. 

various  missions  at  work.  The  Americans  have  been  there  for 
many  years.  They  have  much  work  among  the  men  and  boys  of 
the  land,  and  also  schools  for  girls,  but  not  very  many.  The 
Church  Missionary  Society  in  Palestine  works  also  among  women. 
The  Society  for  Female  Education  in  the  East  has  schools  at 
Nazareth,  Shemlan,  and  other  places.  Here  and  there,  you  will 
find  some  individual  Christian,  settled  clown  in  a  village,  who  has 
opened  a  school,  and  begun  to  gather  women  and  children  around 
her ;  and  there  is  plenty  of  room  for  such  efforts. 

But  the  special  agency  to  which  I  wish  to  call  your  attention  British 
is  that  of  the  British  Syrian  Schools  and  Bible  Mission.  It  Mission. 
is  the  largest  work  for  the  women  of  Syria.  It  has  at  present 
twenty-nine  schools  and  thirty  Bible-women  and  Scripture- 
readers.  It  reaches  from  day  to  day  some  three  thousand  people 
— children  in  the  schools  and  women  attending  classes.  Besides 
that  number  there  are  others  reached  in  their  own  homes,  of 
whom  of   course  there   are  no  statistics.      It  is  an  encouraging  ment.    ° 


44 


Woman's  Work. 


Miss 

POULTON. 


Interest  of 
scholars. 


Uniting 

ranks  and 
religions. 


The  Bible 
received. 


Bible- 
women. 


work.  You  gather  the  children  in  the  schools,  and  you  do  not 
require  first  of  all  to  persuade  them  that  education  is  a  good 
thing.  You  have  nothing  to  do  but  announce  that  the  school 
will  he  opened,  and  it  will  soon  be  filled  with  children  coming 
with  the  determination  to  learn  whatever  you  will  teach  them. 
They  are  interested  from  the  moment  they  enter  the  school  till 
they  leave  it  at  night.  Their  eyes  are  fixed  on  their  books  or 
their  work ;  or,  if  listening  to  teaching,  their  eyes  are  upon  the 
teacher.  Then,  when  they  return  home  in  the  evening,  they  tell 
it  to  their  own  people — fathers  and  mothers,  elder  brothers  and 
sisters — are  taught  by  little  girls  what  they  have  learned  at 
school.  The  old  people  listen  with  delight,  and  even  a  prejudiced 
Mohammedan  father  will  listen  with  great  interest  to  his  girl 
who  has  learned  so  much.  And  this  even  amongst  the  highest 
in  the  land;  for  in  these  schools  there  is  no  separation  of  rank', 
all  are  together — the  daughters  of  the  highest  Druze  and  Moslem 
Emirs  will  sit  with  the  beggar's  child  and  learn  their  lessons 
together. 

Another  thing  is  that  all  religions  are  there  met ;  Moslems, 
Jewesses,  Druzes,  Roman  Catholics,  Greek  Orthodox,  Greek 
Catholic,  Protestants,  and  Maronites,  all  send  their  daughters  to 
learn  together  the  same  lessons.  Hitherto  for  many  centuries  the 
idea  of  Christianity  in  Syria  has  been  a  large  number  of  sects 
hating  one  another ;  but  now  they  are  beginning  to  see  that  the 
Protestants  have  brought  in  a  different  idea,  and  so  throughout 
Syria  you  will  find  a  great  readiness  to  read  the  Book.  Wherever 
the  Bible-woman  goes  with  it,  or  the  English  visitor  pays  an 
afternoon  call,  and  mentions  she  has  a  Bible  with  her,  there  is 
always  readiness  to  listen.  I  remember  an  afternoon  in  the  house 
of  one  of  the  richest  Mohammedans  in  Beyrout ;  there  were  two 
brides  married  only  about  a  week,  and  a  great  number  of  women 
were  in  the  house.  Some  came  from  Damascus,  and  had  never 
seen  a  Christian  before.  After  we  had  been  a  short  time  in  the 
house,  when,  as  usual  with  Eastern  women,  there  had  been  a  grdat 
deal  of  talk  about  dress,  I  thought  we  had  had  enough  id'  that, 
and  said  t<>  tin-  Bible-woman,  "Can'1  you  take  out  your  Bible 
and  read  1  Peter  hi.,  and  show  what  we  think  is  a  woman's  best 
ornament?"  The  Bible-woman  read  the  passage,  and  they  listened 
with  the  most  intense  interest;  and  when  she  had  finished  the 
ladies  remarked  it  was  quite  true,  that  tin;  best  ornament  for 
a  woman  was  a  meek  and  quiet  spirit.     1  then  .said,  "Read  on, 


Women  of  Syria.  45 

and  show  what  our  Book  says  of  the  husbands  also."     They  said  Miss 

°  POULTON. 

that  too  was  very  good.  These  ladies  were  very  pleased  to  hear 
that  in  Damascus  we  had  schools  and  Bible- women. 

Again,  in  the  mountains  you  may  go  to  a  village  where  there  is  Villa§e 
no  school  at  all;  very  often  our  ladies  do  this  during  holiday 
time.  They  go  to  some  fountain  where  the  women  come  to  draw 
water ;  they  speak  to  them,  and  ask  them  perhaps  if  they  have 
heard  of  the  water  of  life.  "jSTo,"  they  say.  "Well,  did  they 
ever  hear  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ1?"  "No,  they  never  heard  of 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ ;  they  are  only  women,  how  could  they 
hear  anything  of  it?"  Perhaps  the  lady  will  sit  down,  and  begin 
to  tell  them  about  the  sufferings  of  Christ.  Soon  tears  are  flowing 
from  the  women's  eyes.  "We  never  heard  that  before.  How 
much  He  must  have  loved  us,  to  die  for  us."  They  go  away 
repeating,  "The  Son  of  God  loved  me,  and  gave  Himself  for 
me."  Very  soon  there  is  cpiite  a  large  class  at  that  place,  and 
when  the  ladies  leave  they  ask,  "  When  shall  we  see  you  again  ? 
Come  next  summer."  And  if  they  go,  what  a  joyful  gathering 
there  is. 

The  children  in  the  schools  have  learnt  the  value  of  prayer.  Prayer 

x      J         meetings. 

There  are  several  prayer  unions  amongst  them.  There  is  the 
Light  House  Prayer  Union,  because  the  members  feel  they  must 
show  the  light  to  others.  Another  is  called  the  Evening  Star, 
because  they  meet  at  sunset.  I  think  these  prayers  will  bring 
more  blessing  than  the  Moslem's  prayer,  which  ascends  at  the  same 
hour.  Now  what  do  the  children  pray  for  1  For  each  other,  and 
for  their  parents.  One  day  a  teacher  asked  what  they  were 
praying  for.  "  We  were  praying  for  Mrs.  Mott,  the  head  of  the 
whole  work,  who  was  very  ill "  (I  am  thankful  to  say  she  has  been 
restored  again  in  answer  to  the  believing  prayer),  "  and  also  praying 
for  blessing  on  our  teachers ;  but  most  of  all  we  prayed  for  new 
hearts  ourselves." 

One  day  in  class  they  were  learning  that  word  in  Psalm  li.,  ,The"ew 
"Create  in  me  a  clean  heart;"  and  one  asked,  "Am  I  to  pray  for 
that?" 

"Oh,  yes!" 

Then  she  said,  "Well,  teacher,  how  am  I  to  know  when  God 
gives  me  the  new  heart?"  And  one  of  the  other  girls  answered, 
"  When  you  have  got  a  clean  heart,  and  mother  sends  you  to 
market  for  anything,  you  will  not  want  to  take  any  of  it,  but 
will  carry  it  all  home  without  touching  anything."     And  another 


46 


Woman's  Work. 


Miss 

POULTON. 


Women's 
classes. 


Bibles  in 
the  homes. 


said,  "  We  would  wish  to  tell  the  truth,  and  hate  lies,  when  we 
have  a  new  heart." 

Again,  the  work  among  women  is  most  interesting.  We  have 
large  classes  in  Beyrout,  attended  by  two  to  three  hundred  women; 
and  there  are  large  classes  in  different  places.  There  are  regular 
mothers'  meetings,  and  as  I  went  from  one  to  another  I  heard 
often  sung  that  favourite  hymn — 

"  Just  as  I  am,  without  one  plea, 
But  that  Thy  blood  was  shed  for  me  ;" 

or  that  other  beautiful  one — 

"  My  faith  looks  up  to  Thee, 
Thou  Lamb  of  Calvary." 

The  women  who  choose  these  hymns  are  Druzes  and  Moham- 
medans. 

Of  course  among  these  Orientals  you  have  to  allow  for  their 
complimentary  phrases  about  joy  in  receiving  your  visits  and 
listening  to  your  sweet  words;  but  after  making  full  allowance 
for  these  things,  there  is  much  of  reality  in  their  expressions. 
The  women  are  sometimes  beaten  for  coming  to  our  classes,  and 
still  they  come,  sometimes  starving  and  hungry,  and  yet  they  feel 
the  joy.  Some  have  come  from  rich  Mohammedan  homes,  where 
there  are  three  or  four  wives,  and  have  been  so  changed  that 
their  husbands  have  noticed  the  difference,  and  become  interested, 
saying  there  must  be  something  to  make  such  a  change. 

Many  of  our  little  Mohammedan  girls,  who  go  from  us  at  the 
age  of  eleven  to  be  married,  take  the  Bible  with  them,  and  read 
it  to  the  husband. 

A  girl  was  going  to  be  married,  and  a  Bible  was  offered 
to  her;  but  she  said,  "I  dare  not  take  it.  I  do  not  know  my 
husband,  having  never  seen  him;  and  lie  might  be  angry  if  I 
had  a  Bible."  The  teacher  said  she  would  keep  the  Bible  for  her, 
and  she  went  off.  After  a  time  she  came,  saying,  "  My  husband 
is  so  kind,  and  I  may  have  the  Bible." 

Another  instance.  A  young  man  said  that  the  harem  was 
quite  changed  since  he  had  married  a  girl  from  our  schools. 
Now,  instead  of  the  old  scenes,  he  finds  they  are  singing 
hymns  and  engaged  in  needlework,  and  he  said,  "  It  is  all 
through  my  little  wife,  ten  years  old.  She  has  changed  my 
sisters  altogether." 

Well,  thousands  of  these  girls  have  passed  through  our  schools, 


Women  of  Syria.  47 

and  those  who  have  "one  have  taken  the  Eihle  with  them,  and  Mi»s 

POULTON 

read  it  in  their  homes  and  to  their  hushands,  and  in  many  cases 
the  hushands  are  to  he  seen  studying  the  Scriptures  for  themselves, 
the  direct  result  of  these  girls  from  our  schools ;  and  we  helieve 
that  within  a  few  years  there  will  he  a  great  upturning  of  the 
people  through  this  Word. 

Now  it  is  a  small  land.  There  are  not  millions  there,  hut  The  Jews, 
thousands.  But  we  do  want  to  have  such  Christians  living  in 
Syria,  that  when  the  Jews  return  to  their  own  land  they  shall 
see  what  true  Christianity  is,  and  not  merely  the  name ;  we  want 
them  to  see  the  true  Christianity,  that  they  may  learn  to  recognize 
the  true  Christ. 

How  the   Jews  in  Damascus   arc  looking   for  and  expecting 

their  Messiah !     They  fix  a  date  over  and  over  again.     When 

the  time  comes  they  say,  "We  made  a  mistake."      They  have 

waited  so  long  that  some  of  them  say,  "Perhaps  you  Christians 

are  right,  after  all."      The  people    notice  the  change  it  makes  Possible 

in  homes  where  the  Lord  Jesus  is  received ;    and  numbers  of 

Mohammedans  are  secretly  studying  the  Bible,  and  are  believers, 

and  would  be  baptized  but  for  the  fear  of  being  poisoned.     We 

want  to  teach  these  people  to  read  the  word  of  God  intelligently, 

and  we  pray  that  the  Lord  would  send  the  power  of  His  Holy 

Spirit,  so  that  they  might  be  enabled  to  lay  down  their  lives. 

I  believe  if  a  few  did  this,  hundreds  would  come  forward  ready 

to  accept  Christianity. 

Eemember,   workers  are  wanted  in   our   mission.      We    want  Workers 

needed. 
educated  ladies  with   some    experience   of    teaching  and  school 

work,  and  also  with  some  experience  in  Christian  work ;   above 

all,  with  the  love  of  the   Lord  Jesus  Christ  burning  in   their 

hearts,  so  that  it  may  go  forth  with  power.     When  dear  Mrs. 

Henry  Smith  used  to   speak,    her  words  went  to  the  women's 

hearts.      They  said,  "  She  had  the  tears  in  her  eyes  as  she  said 

to  us,   'My  sisters,  my  sisters,  Christ  died  for  you  as  well  as 

for  me.'"     And  then  they  realised  the  truth  of  the  glad  tidings 

she  proclaimed. 

Hymn  No.  22  was  sung  at  the  close  of  the  address — 

"  Tell  it  out  among  the  heathen  that  the  Lord  is  King  ! 
Tell  it  out !     Tell  it  out ! " 


48 


Woman  s  Work, 


Mrs.  Osboen 


Hindrances 
to  mission 
work. 


Rev.  A. 

Murray's 
1 1  uguenol 
Institution. 


Colonial 
evangeliza- 
tion. 


Native 
churches. 


SOUTH    AFEICAN    WORK. 

By  Mrs.  Osborn. 

All  who  are  at  all  acquainted  with  missionary  work  in  South 
Africa  know  well  that  strong  drink  is  there  one  of  the  most 
formidable  hindrances  a  missionary  has  to  contend  with.  And  to 
our  dismay  we  find  that  one  of  the  measures  passed  by  the 
Colonial  Parliament  this  year  is  the  abolition  of  the  Excise. 
Brandy  shall  come  in  and  go  out  free.  Whilst  many  of  the 
necessaries  of  life  are  scarce  and  expensive,  drink  shall  be 
within  reach  of  the  poorest.  It  has  all  the  appearance  of  a 
diabolical  scheme,  planned  by  men  engaged  in  the  traffic  in  order 
to  clear  off  the  native  races  and  add  to  their  own  gains.  Other 
measures  have  been  passed,  all  tending  to  increase  the  difficulties 
of  the  missionaries  in  the  country.  The  present  condition  of  the 
colony  calls  for  much  prayer. 

Mr.  Radcliffe  asked  in  prayer  that  many  women  from  among 
the  heathen  might  be  raised  up  to  work  among  their  own  people. 
This  reminds  me  of  a  remark  by  one  of  the  French  Protestant 
missionaries  labouring  among  the  Basutos.  He  stated  that  far 
more  zeal  was  manifested  among  the  women  than  the  men. 
Twelve  years  ago  the  Bev.  Andrew  Murray  established  the  Hugue- 
not Seminary  at  Wellington,  a  branch  of  Mount  Holyoke,  America. 
It  is  an  answer  regarding  colonial  evangelization.  Girls  of  French, 
German,  and  Dutch  descent,  as  well  as  English,  are  educated 
there,  and  also  trained  for  mission  work.  After  conversion  the 
girls  have  always  before  them  the  thought  of  going  into  (lie 
mission  fields.  Many  have  done  so  either  as  wives  of  missionaries 
or  as  teachers.  A  missionary  society  has  been  formed  in  con- 
nection with  the  Institution,  and  supports  more  than  one  vim 
has  been  trained  there,  and  who  is  now  labouring  among  the 
heathen. 

We  need  experienced  workers  in  South  Africa — those  who 
would  go  out  from  home  to  tram  the  sons  ami  daughters  of  the 
colonists,  that  labourers  among  t  he  heathen  may  be  supplied  from 
the  colony.  We  also  want  the  native  churches  stirred  to  aggres- 
sive work.  This  cannot  be  done  by  worn-mil,  broken-down 
missionaries  who  have  spent  many  years  in  the  country. 


South  African  Work.  49 

Paul  said  to  Barnabas,  "Let  us  go  again  and  visit  our  brethren  Mrs.OsnoRN 
in  every  city  where  we  have  preached  the  Word  of  the  Lord,  and 
see  how  they  do."  That  is  what  we  want  in  South  Africa,  but 
very  few  come  from  England  to  see  how  we  do.  A  fever  patient 
is  often  ignorant  of  his  condition  until  the  clinical  thermometer 
is  applied.  We  wish  Mr.  Radcliffe  and  others  would  come  out 
and  apply  the  spiritual  thermometer  to  our  churches. 

Another  need  is  some  system  of  conferences,  such  as  this  one  Colonial 

J  conferences 

represents,  and  real  union  among  the  churches  towards  the 
advance  of  this  great  object. 

The  mission  in  which  I  am  more  especially  engaged  is  in  Cape  Soldiers  and 

Sciilors. 

Town,  amongst  our  own  fellow-countrymen.  When  I  was  about 
to  leave  England  in  order  to  start  it,  a  friend  said,  "If  you  were 
going  to  the  heathen  I  should  feel  more  interested."  But  I  am 
assured  that  our  work  is  of  great  importance.  Every  soldier 
converted  shines  as  a  witness,  or,  moved  about  with  his  regiment, 
is  an  itinerant  missionary.- 

About  30,000  men  go  out  of  the  army  every  year,  and  as  many 
enter  its  ranks.  I  ask  those  who  work  among  soldiers  to  impress 
upon  them  the  responsibility  of  going  into  heathen  lands  as 
Christians,  that  they  may  go  as  missionaries  for  the  Lord  Jesus. 
We  have  soldiers  working  in  this  way.     One  such  left  the  Cape  Soldier- 

°  °  x      missionaries 

the  other  day,  and  when  he  went  the  little  coloured  boys  to  whom 
he  used  to  speak  of  the  love  of  Jesus  shed  tears.  A  blue-jacket 
would  walk  over  the  hills  every  Sunday  afternoon  to  teach  the 
children  of  the  natives.  A  soldier  returned  to  England  to  get  his 
discharge,  and  then  hastened  back  to  the  Cape,  saying  he  felt  he 
must  work  for  the  Lord  at  the  Soldiers'  Home  where  He  had 
saved  him.  He  met  the  expenses  of  the  journey  out  of  his  own 
savings,  and  as  caretaker  of  the  Sailors'  Eest  is  doing  his  work 
well  and  conscientiously,  and  accepting  no  remuneration  for  it. 

Our  hall  at  the  Soldiers'  Home  provides  for  the  spiritual  needs 
of  many  besides  soldiers.  We  have  also  special  meetings  for 
women  and  children.  Our  little  Sailors'  Rest  at  the  docks  is  open 
to  all  sea-faring  men,  and  if  we  cannot  give  all  the  gospel  by  word 
of  mouth  for  lack  of  workers,  we  give  them  the  Word  of  God  in 
their  own  tongue. 

A  new  military  station  is  about  to  be  formed  near  Cape  Town  Ladies 
for  1300  soldiers.     We  know  not  what  to  do  for  them,  but  some- 
thing should  be  done.    I  should  be  thankful  to  hear  of  a  lady  with 
experience  and  means  who  would  go  out  and  take  up  this  work. 

E 


50 


Woman's  Work. 


Mrs.OaBOBN 
Y.W.C.A. 


Our  railway  - 
men  and 
police. 


A  problem 
solved. 


Results  an 
hundred- 
fold. 


We  have  also  a  Young  Women's  Christian  Association  just  started 
in  Cape  Town,  and  we  desire  to  extend  the  work  to  other  towns 
in  the  colony.  For  this  special  branch  of  work  a  lady  is  much 
needed,  one  able  to  organize  work,  and  who  will  meet  her  own 
expenses. 

Nothing  as  yet  has  been  done  for  our  railway-men.  We  are 
only  able  to  send  monthly  packets  of  gospel  papers  to  about  thirty 
stations.  Numbers  are  in  isolated  places,  and  never  hear  the 
gospel,  and  are  exposed  to  terrible  temptation  in  the  form  of 
strong  drink. 

Our  police  as  a- class  are  still  untouched.  There  are  about  one 
hundred  men  in  the  city  police  force,  and  for  want  of  workers  we 
have  not  even  a  Bible-class  for  them.  The  mounted  police  are 
scattered  throughout  the  colony,  and  away  on  the  borders,  with  no 
opportunity  of  hearing  the  gospel. 

Everywhere,  and  among  every  class,  there  is  the  same  need  and 
the  same  cry  for  help ;  but  the  labourers  being  few,  it  becomes  a 
problem  Iioav  we  are  to  reach  them.  Jesus  can  solve  every 
problem.  He  has  solved  this  one.  In  Luke  iv.  43,  after  "the 
people  prayed  Him,  that  He  should  not  depart  from  them,"  the 
divine  Missionary  said,  "  I  must  preach  to  other  cities  also : 
for  therefore  am  I  sent." 

The  word  that  fell  often  from  His  lips  was  "forsake."  "Who- 
soever he  be  of  you  that  forsaketh  not  all  that  he  hath,  he  cannot 
be  My  disciple."  God's  people  under  the  law  were  commanded 
to  give;  under  the  gospel,  to  give  up.  The  young  ruler  was  told 
to  give  up  all  his  rich  possessions,  in  order  to  follow  Jesus. 
Sitting  by  the  treasury,  the  Lord  saw  the  rich  cast  in  much,  and 
the  poor  widow  casting  in  all  she  had.  Which  of  them  was 
approved  1 

At  Pentecost  they  gave  up  all,  and  He 
Do  we  want  results  an  hundred -fold1? 
"Every  one  that  hath  forsaken  houses" 
that  houses  should  be  first  on  the  list.  But  when  we  look  at  oui 
comfortable,  pleasant  homes  in  England,  it  is  hard  to  leave  them. 
He  knows  how  hard.  I  know  a  pleasant,  happy  home  where 
there  are  five  daughters,  all  serving  the  Master.  I  covet  one  for 
Africa,  but  the  aged  father  cannot  spare  one.  It  may  be  said, 
"What  of  those  who  give  largely — give  thousands  to  foreign 
missions?"  How  much  did  Jesus  give?  "The  kingdom  of 
heaven  is  like  unto  treasure  hid  in  a  field;    the  which  when  a 


ave   them   power. 
We    can    have   them. 
.  .  It  seems  strange 


Women's  Work  on  the  Continent  of  Europe.  51 

man  hath  found,  he  hideth,  and  goeth  and  selleth  all  that  he  hath,  Mis.Osborn 
and  huyeth  that  field."  All  that  He  had,  He  gave.  Gold  was 
discovered  at  the  Cape.  It  well  repaid  the  cost  to  send  diggers 
from  America  to  work  the  mines.  They  were  among  my  fellow- 
passengers.  The  wife  of  the  man  in  charge  of  them  was  frail  and 
delicate;  so  much  so,  that  I  could  not  refrain  from  saying  to 
her,  "  Are  you  not  afraid  to  face  the  hardships  and  loneliness  and 
possible  dangers  before  you?"  With  a  calm  smile  she  answered, 
"  I  am  going  with  my  husband,  and  it  will  not  be  for  long." 

Oh,  dear  friends,  let  us  believe  that  the  weakest  of  us  can  go 
where  He  calls  us,  since  He  has  said,  "Lo,  I  am  with  you." 
And  it  will  not  be  for  long  ;  not  for  long  this  glorious  service ;  not 
for  long  that  we  can  follow  His  footprints  in  this  path  of 
self-denial.  Already  the  day  breaks,  it  is  time  to  put  on  our 
beautiful  garments ;  for,  "Behold,  He  cometh!" 

Pjayer  followed  by  Mr.  James  E.  Mathieson,  and  the  closing 
address  was  civen  on 


WOMEN'S  WORK  ON  THE  CONTINENT  OF  EUROPE. 

By  Mrs.  Gardner  James. 

The  subject  on  which  I  have  to  speak — "Women's  Work  on  the  ^•j^™' 

Continent   of    Europe" — is   a   very   large   one.     I   am   here   as 

the  representative  of   two  societies:    (1)    The   Young  Women's  y.w.c. a 

1  v    '  ....        Continental 

Christian  Association  Continental  Department,  which  comprises  department. 

Continental  members  resident  in  England  as  well  as  abroad ;  and 

(2)    The  International  Union  of  the  Friends  of  Young  Women  inter- 

\    /  °  national 

(L'Union  Internationale  des   Amies   de   la  Jeune  Fille),   which  Union, 
works  with  the  Y.W.C. A.     Through  these  two  societies  we  are 
connected  with  every  kind  of    woman's  work   in   nearly  every 
quarter  of  the  globe. 

The  members  of   the  International  Union  arrange,   as  far  as  r.u.  meet- 

ing  young 

possible,  to  meet  young  women  going  to  a  strange  city  or  country ;  women. 

and  though  as  yet  we  number  only  about  900,  we  have  already 

found  our  Union  to  be  of    great   use.      We  had  a   conference  J-u- Con- 

°  ference. 

at  Exeter  Hall  in  July  last,  when  nine  different  countries  were 
represented — Germany,  Belgium,  Holland,  France,  Russia,  Sweden, 
Switzerland,  America,  and  England. 

I  do  not  think  I  can  do  better  than  to  begin  by  telling  you  of  Yw^nA'' 
our   most   interesting   work   in  Sweden.     We   have   about    200 

E   2 


52 


Woman's  Work. 


Jonkoping 
and  Skofde, 

Stockholm. 


Mrs.  Gard-  Y.W.C.A.  members  there.    Classes  of  from  50  to  100  factory  tnrls 

ner  James.  . 

are  held  at  Norrkoping  by  young  ladies,  whose  own  hearts  have 
Norrkoping.  been  touched  by  the  love  of  Christ.  Is  not  this  just  what 
we  want  in  our  Y.W.C.A. — that  our  Prayer  Union  members 
should  themselves  seek  to  gather  in  young  women  still  outside 
the  fold  of  Christ,  and  tell  them  of  His  love  1 

There  are  also  branches  at  Jonkoping  and  at  Skofde.  At 
Stockholm  there  has  been  quite  a  revival  of  Y.W.C.A.  work,  and 
the  Queen  of  Sweden  herself  is  a  Y.W.C.A.  member.  On  the 
6th  of  January,  this  year — a  day  chosen  because  it  was  the 
day  of  prayer  in  the  Y.W.C.A. — large  meetings  were  held  in 
Stockholm  by  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Andersson  Neijerhelm,  to  speak 
of  restarting  the  work  there,  and  to  have  prayer  about  it.  One 
likes  to  think  of  the  work  beginning  thus  by  prayer,  and  on  our 
own  prayer-day ;  and  it  is  no  wonder  that  it  has  prospered.  When 
Mine.  Andersson  Neijerhelm,  the  president,  lately  returned  from 
a  short  visit  to  Russia,  the  members  were  delighted  to  see  her 
back  again ;  and  she  wrote  to  me,  that  they  were  not  only  glad  to 
belong  to  our  large  association,  but  also  to  have  become  a  tree 
themselves,  with  branches  in  Finland  and  Russia. 

Mme.  Andersson  Neijerhelm  started  five  branches  in  Finland. 
She  did  not  commence  by  starting  an  association,  but  she  held 
meetings,  speaking  of  the  love  of  Christ;  and  then  the  girls 
came  to  her  and  said,  "Cannot  we  also  have  an  association1?" 
She  thus  started  both  societies  in  these  places,  finding  as  we 
do  that  the  one  helps  the  other,  and  that  both  must  go  hand 
in  hand. 

Mme.  Andersson  Neijerhebn  then  went  on  to  St.  Petersburg. 
I  have  just  been  speaking  of  the  work  there  with  one  now  exiled 
from  that  country  for  the  name  of  Christ.  He  says  there  is  a 
great  work  going  on  all  over  Russia.  The  Christians  there  seem 
i i)i Iced  like  the  early  Christians.  What  an  honour  to  be  exiled  or 
imprisoned,  as  many  are,  for  His  name!  And  we  here  are  often 
unwilling  to  give  up  a  little  bit  of  extra  comfort,  that  the  bread  of 
life  might  be  given  to  the  dying.  One  very  dear  to  me  said, 
"Even  the  coat  on  my  back  belongs  to  the  Lord;  and  if  lb' 
wants  it,  He  shall  have  it."  "  If  He  tvanfx  if,"  but  not  if  He 
does  not  tell  us;  as  some  have  done,  giving  up  all  unbidden,  and 
then  becoming  dependent  on  the  church.  Surely  the  greatest  joy 
of  our  lives  should  be  to  have  opportunities  of  yielding  something 
to  our  Lord  which  costs  us  something.     The  greatest  joy  never 


Finland 
Y.W.C.A 
and  I.U. 


Russia. 


Women's  Work  on  the  Continent  of  Europe.  53 

comes   by   the   emotions  being  worked  up,   but  by  waiting  on  Mrs-  Gard- 

ner  James* 

the  Lord,  by  yielding  everything  to  Him  from  the  depths  of  our 
hearts,  and  joyfully  saying,  "  Yes,  Lord,"  to  all  He  sends.  Can 
we  keep  back  our  children  or  our  dearest  from  Him  1  Is  it  not  a 
blessing  to  be  able  to  yield  what  we  most  prize  1  How  much  do 
we  love  our  Master  1  How  much  do  we  give  which  costs,  us 
something  1 

There  is  great  need  in  St.   Petersburg  for  the  International  ^Y^-Ae. 

o  °  and  I.U.,  St. 

Union.      Mme.  Andersson  Neijerhelm  did  open  a  Home  there ;  Petersburg. 
but  only  three  meetings  were  held  when  the  police  came  and 
broke  up  the  work,  though  the  Czarina  gave  money  for  the  work, 
and  wished  it  to  be  carried  on.     It  was  through  the  influence  of 
one  man  that  this  was  done. 

In  Norway  the  police  state  that  they  have  taken  up  fewer  girls  Norway i.u. 
in  three  years  than  they  did  in  three  months  before  the  Inter- 
national Union  was  started   there,   and  we   trust   the   Countess 
Wedel  Jarlsberg  is  about  to  start  a  Y.W.C.A.  also. 

In  Germany  the  International  Union  has  spread  much,  and  German  i.u. 
they  have  a  national  committee.  Miss  Ronimele  organises  Bible- 
classes  in  connection  with  this,  not  nominally  Y.W.C.A.  classes, 
but  much  the  same ;  and  God  is  opening  her  way  wonderfully  for 
this  work,  and  the  clergy  are  helping  her.  God  is  blessing 
Germany.  Miss  Rommele  has  worked  also  with  Dr.  Baedeker 
and  Dr.  Ziemann.  At  Essen  about  eighty  young  ladies  came 
after  the  meetings  and  offered  themselves  to  work  among  their 
fallen  sisters.  Dr.  Ziemann  says  that  everywhere  among  Christians 
there  is  a  stirring-up  and  a  readiness  for  mission  work.  After 
Pastor  Schrenk's  visit  to  Frankfort,  a  young  women's  branch  was 
formed  there,  and  a  branch  is  also  commencing  at  Bad  Hambourg. 
"In  Germany,"  Miss  Rommele  writes,  "English  workers  are  of 
little  use."  She  says  she  wishes  all  converted  Germans  would 
turn  out  of  England  and  return  to  their  own  country.  We  try 
to  get  hold  of  our  German  sisters  while  in  England,  and  some  I 
know  have  returned  home  with  a  new  song  in  their  mouths. 
Some  who  have  gone  back  lately  are  now  just  beginning  a  little 
meeting  of  their  own,  and  forming  a  union  for  prayer,  thus 
carrying  life  with  them  into  their  own  land. 

One  of  our  International  Union  members,  Mrs.  Palmer  Davis,  i.u.  mem- 

'  bers  work. 

has  a  large  work  in  Berlin  among  cabmen  and  their  wives.  She 
employs  six  Bible-women,  and  soine  of  the  histories  she  can  tell 
are  most  thrilling. 


54 


Woman's  Work. 


Mrs.  Gard- 
ner James. 


France  I.U. 

and 

Y.W.C.A. 


Spain 
Y.W.C.A. 


I.U. 


Turkey. 


In  France  we  are  also  at  work.  We  have  many  International 
Union  members  and  a  national  committee,  also  Y.W.C.A.  branches 
there.  In  the  Drome  Valley,  Miss  Mudie  is  working.  Many 
who  have  been  governesses  in  England  return  to  their  own  land 
and  become  national  schoolmistresses.  In  one  place  where  one 
of  our  members  became  a  teacher  there  were  only  fifty  children, 
but  since  the  railway  was  brought  there  the  pupils  have  increased 
to  five  hundred,  and  she  having  herself  been  blessed  in  England, 
has  now  a  large  sphere  of  usefulness.  Another  member  visits 
four  villages.  Another  has  lately  joined  us — a  poor  cripple  girl. 
She  hopes  to  have  a  class  of  little  children  who  are  otherwise 
quite  uncared  for  in  that  village.  A  correspondent,  writing  to 
me  of  our  lady  Avorkers,  says  how  much  they  are  comforted  and 
cheered  by  the  letters  they  receive,  as  in  most  of  the  Protestant 
churches  in  France  they  are  taught  so  little. 

In  Spain  Ave  had  only  eighteen  Y.W.C.A.  members,  but  six 
have  lately  asked  to  be  admitted  from  another  town. 

An  International  Union  member  writes  warning  young  women 
not  to  go  to  Spain.  There  are  so  few  respectable  families.  Only 
Eoman  Catholics  can  get  places,  and  only  middle-aged  women 
should  venture  to  go. 

The  Constantinople  "  Ladies'  Christian  Association  "  is  affiliated 
to  us,  and  takes  some  of  our  papers.  This  association  has  a  large 
Prayer  Union  Band. 

We  have  just  had  our  Y.W.C.A.  motto  cards  printed  in  Spanish, 
French,  German,  Swedish,  Turkish,  and  modern  Greek. 

After  giving  you  these  brief  notes  of  our  work,  I  think  you 
will  agree  that  we  are  a  missionary  association,  extending  from 
England  to  many  other  lands. 


THE  CONTINENT  OF  EUROPE. 

Tuesday  Evening,  October  5th,  1886. 


This  evening  the  claims  of  Continental  Countries  were  considered. 
After  silent  prayer,  hymn  No.  19  was  sung — 

"  Onward,  Christian  soldiers, 
Marching  as  to  war." 

The  Rev.  D.  B.  Hankin  then  offered  prayer,  and  Hymn  No.  21 
was  sung —  «  Uplift  the  banner  !    Let  it  float 

Skyward  and  seaward,  high  and  wide." 

The  Chairman,  Mr.  Reginald  Radcliffe,   having  read  John  Mr.  r. 

Radcliffe. 

xiv.  15 — "If  ye  love  Me,  keep  My  commandments  — introduced 
the  speakers  in  these  words :  Now  we  shall  have  three  speakers,* 
and  I  want  each  of  us  to  take  them  into  our  hearts  before  they 
begin  to  speak,  that  we  may  all  be  in  sympathy  with  them.  For 
myself  I  am  greatly  indebted  to  each  of  them ;  for  one  of  them 
interpreted  for  me.  in  St.  Petersburg,  another  hi  Berlin,  and  the 
third,  whom  we  are  now  going  to  hear,  in  Paris. 


WHITE    FIELDS    OF    FRANCE. 

By  Mons.  R.  Saillens. 

Dear  Christian  Friends, — If  there  was  about  twenty  miles  from  mods.  r. 
some  English  city  another  town  of  100,000  inhabitants  with  only 
one  Christian  minister,  I  think  you  would  consider  it  a  shame ;  and 
yet,  if  you  stand  on  the  cliffs  of  Folkestone  or  Dover,  you  will  see 
at  a  smaller  distance  than  that,  within  sixteen  or  seventeen  miles, 
the  large  city  of  Boulogne  with  100,000  inhabitants,  but  having 


*  They  were  three  foreigners  —  Colonel  Pashkoff,  exiled  from  Russia  for 
spreading  the  gospel ;  Dr.  Baedeker,  indefatigable  in  spreading  the  gospel 
in  his  native  Germany,  in  Austria,  Russia,  &c. ;  and  M.  Saillens,  in  Paris. 


56  The  Continent  of  Europe: 

Mons.  R.  only  one  Christian  minister.  And  a^ain,  there  is  Calais,  that 
large  place,  with  only  one  or  two  Christian  ministers.  "  But,"  you 
say,  "  it  is  not  the  same  country ;  between  the  two  there  rolls  a 
broad  sea."  What  of  that  1  Does  that  concern  the  Christian  heart? 
Have  we  anything    to  do  with  frontiers  and  national  barriers'? 

neighbour.  Does  the  gospel  know  anything  about  seas  and  mountains,  ditches 
and  fortresses  %  Is  it  because  we  do  not  speak  the  same  language 
that  you  speak,  though  at  such  a  small  distance  from  you,  that  we 
must  be  considered  as  strangers  1  Have  you  realised  that  just  at 
your  door,  a  few  hours'  journey  from  London,  at  such  a  proximity 
that  you  can  almost  go  and  return  on  the  same  day,  there  are 
millions  of  people  who  have  nothing  which  you  have  and  possess 
as  Christians  1  They  do  not  know  the  gospel,  they  do  not  know 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  They  have  the  cross,  even  more  of  it 
than  you  have ;  but  that  cross  is  empty.  It  is  not  spotted  with 
the  blood  of  Jesus ;  it  has  a  false  Christ  upon  it,  and  not  the 
Saviour  of  mankind. 

Why  are  we       I  have  sometimes  wondered  how  English  Christians  pass  us 

passed  over?  .  °  L 

over  in  that  way,  for  you  do  pass  us  over.  You  pass  us  to  go  to 
China,  and  to  India,  your  own  colony.  You  go  to  Switzerland 
in  the  summer,  and  to  Italy  in  the  winter,  and  you  pass  us 
over.  You  Christians  do  not  do  your  duty  to  your  nearest 
neighbours. 
Because  we       j  suppose  the  first  reason  is,  that  we  are  too  near.     If  we  were 

are  too  near?  _  rr 

just  a  little  further  away,  if  we  had  a  little  more  romance  about 
us,  if  we  were  a  savage  people,  if  we  wore  a  long  tail  behind  our 
backs,  and  were  queer  and  uncommon-looking,  perhaps  you  would 
take  an  interest  in  us;  but  as  it  so  happens  we  are  very  much 
the  same  as  you,  we  dress  as  you  do,  Ave  have  railways  almost  as 
good  as  yours.  I  am  afraid  that  in  what  is  called  the  missionary 
spirit  there  is  a  great  deal  of  fondness  of  romance  and  travel. 
People  like  to  go  into  the  jungles,  to  a  country  where  there  are 
tigers  and  bears,  something  to  fuss  and  talk  about ;  but  France  is 
too  prosaic,  and  too  near,  and  so  you  pass  us  over. 
Because  we       Another  reason  is  that  we  are  civilized.     Now,  as  far  as  earthly 

arecivilized?     _  . 

gifts  are  concerned,  I  suppose  we  have  received  as  much  as  any 
other  nation  in  the  world.  Our  skies  are  beautiful,  and  we  have 
the  sun,  which  sometimes  shines  here  too.  Yes,  we  have  received 
very  many  gifts  from  God.  Our  brains  arc  just  as  good  as  any 
other,  and,  humanly  speaking,  we  have  been  favoured  by  God 
very  greatly. 


White  Fields  of  France.  57 

But  although  we  are  such  a   highly-civilized   nation,   and  in  Mons.  R. 

l  T  l  •  <■  oil.  Tailless. 

some  ways  too  much  so  perhaps,  yet  let  me  say  if  you  are  fond  of 
savages  you  may  just  as  well  come  to  Paris  as  go  to  China.  If 
you  want  har harians,  go  over  our  streets,  and  you  will  find  plenty ; 
if  you  want  the  savage,  go  to  our  slums,  yea,  upon  our  boulevards, 
and  you  will  find  him  without  much  searching.  Are  we  not  all 
wild  men  as  far  as  the  natural  heart  is  concerned?  Civilization 
is  a  varnish  the  devil  puts  on  us — a  false  appearance  we  put  upon 
ourselves.  After  all,  men  are  only  divided  into  these  two  classes — 
those  whose  hearts  are  truly  civilized,  and  made  new  and  living 
by  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ ;  and  those  whose  hearts  are  wild  and 
savage,  full  of  egotism,  full  of  love  of  self,  and  ready  to  trample 
everything  under  foot  in  order  to  have  their  own  way.  In  that 
sense  there  are  many  savages  in  France. 

Perhaps  another  reason  for  your  neglect  of  us  is,  that  we  have  The 
the  reputation  of  having  a  large  church,  a  large  Protestant  church, 
church.  The  history  of  the  Reformation  in  France  is  remembered. 
You  know  about  Calvin,  but  you  forget  that  he  died  three 
hundred  years  ago,  and  left  no  successors  in  France.  Those  who 
took  up  the  banner  of  Christ  were  drowned  in  their  own  blood. 
You  do  not  remember  that  only  sixteen  years  ago  there  were  few 
Protestant  churches  in  our  country,  and  no  possibility  for  them 
of  raising  their  voice  or  of  going  out  from  their  own  buildings 
to  preach  the  gospel  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  Persecution  which 
lasted  three  hundred  years  cannot  but  have  had  a  great  effect  upon 
the  minds  and  hearts  of  the  Protestants  of  France.  Suppose  that 
for  three  hundred  years  you  lost  the  habit  of  preaching  in  the 
open  air,  it  would  take  some  time  to  acquire  that  habit  again. 
Suppose  that  for  three  hundred  years  you  were  prevented  from 
giving  away  a  tract,  it  would  take  some  time  to  acquire  the  habit 
again.  So  it  is  with  us.  For  three  hundred  years  we  have  been 
persecuted,  and  are  just  now  beginning  to  breathe.  You  must 
give  us  time  to  get  our  education  completed ;  you  must  educate 
us,  you  who  have  been  so  long  free  to  preach  the  gospel  of  the 
grace  of  God. 

There  are  also,  I  suppose,  though  I  hope  there  are  none  here,  Roiran 
many  English  Christians  who  say  that  the  need  of  a  Roman 
Catholic  population  is  not  so  great  as  that  of  a  really  heathen 
population.  "A  Roman  Catholic  nation,"  they  say,  "is  half 
Christian  already.  They  believe  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  they 
know  He  was  born  in  Bethlehem,  and  died  on.  the  cross.     Well, 


58  Tlie  Continent  of  Europe. 

."\inns-.  r.      let  me  say  that  I  believe  just  the  contrary.     I  believe  there  is  no 

tSAILLENS. 

form  of  heathenism  so  dangerous  and  so  subtle  as  Romanism ; 
and  I  am  sure  it  would  be  almost  better  for  our  people  if  they 
had  never  believed  in  Jesus  Christ  after  the  fashion  of  the  pope. 
It  would  have  been  much  easier  for  missionaries  and  Bible 
colporteurs  to  make  way  in  France,  Italy,  and  Spain,  if  these 
people  were  without  any  knowledge  of  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ. 
Their  religion  is  a  mixture  of  truth  and  error,  and  there  is 
nothing  so  poisonous  and  so  dangerous  as  a  religion  that  has 
forgotten  its  birth  and  origin.  That  is  the  case  with  Roman 
Catholicism.  It  is  more  and  more  difficult  for  the  true  Romanist 
to  see  Christ  through  the  many  obstacles  and  hindrances  put 
before  him.  Perhaps  fifty  or  sixty  years  ago  it  was  still  possible 
for  unenlightened  minds  to  see  Christ  through  the  mists  of 
Romanism ;  but  since  the  doctrines  of  the  immaculate  conception 
and  the  infallibility  of  the  pope  were  declared,  the  thing  is 
almost  impossible, 
indifference       Moreover,  France  has  ceased  long  ago  to  be  a  Catholic  country. 

and  scepti-  .  °     °  J 

cism.  If  you  travel  m  that  land,  and  ask  the  people  what  they  believe 

in,  they  will  mostly  say,  "We  do  not  believe  in  the  Pope  and 
the  Virgin  Mary;"  they  laugh  at  these  things,  and  do  not  trouble 
about  them.  But  if  you  continue  your  enquiry,  and  say,  "Do 
you  not  believe  in  God1?"  they  will  say,  "Yes."  Although  we 
may  be  very  bad  in  many  ways,  yet  the  French  people  are  not,  as 
a  nation,  atheists,  and  will  never  be  so;  it  is  against  the  mind 
and  training  and  previous  history  of  the  race,  it  is  against  their 

The  French  very  being.     They  are  too  philosophical  to  be  rank  atheists.     You 

notAtheists  ,  .     .  .         . 

will  always  find  it  is  a  small  minority — though  a  very  noisy  one — 
that  says  "there  is  no  God."  In  the  centre  of  Paris,  if  you  had 
Bradlaugh  to  preach  to  the  people,  he  would  not  find  such  an 
audience  as  in  London.  If  the  people  do  not  believe  in  religion, 
it  is  because  they  are  Socialists,  and  not  because  they  are  Atheists. 
For  instance,  Gambetta  was  an  atheist,  but  he  never  said  so;  he 
never  dared  publish  it  to  the  nation,  because  he  knew  the  people 
were  ready  enough  to  follow  him- in  the  war  against  the  priests, 
but  not  in  war  against  God.  We  are  not  an  atheistical  nation, 
but  we  are  an  infidel  nation.  That  is  the  great  evil  in  France. 
People  will  not  accept  the  revelation  of  God,  but  will  only  receive 
what  seems  rational  and  intelligent  In  their  minds,  what  they  can 
understand;  and  the  human  mind  cannot  understand  very  much. 
Yes,  we  are  in  a  sad  state;   but  remember,  you  English  people 


White  Fields  of  France.  59 

had  something  to  do  with  this.  In  the  last  century  the  English  Mons.  R. 
church  was  in  a  very  bad  condition,  and  the  French  infidel 
learned  his  infidelity  at  the  English  school.  When  Voltaire  first 
began  to  doubt,  he  came  over  to  England.  He  saw  many  men. 
He  met  Lord  Shaftesbury,  the  great  infidel  (the  grandfather  of 
the  late  great  and  good  Lord  Shaftesbury),  and  Lord  Chesterfield, 
and  others,  and  through  them  he  was  confirmed  in  his  infidelity. 
Well,  this  infidelity  has  lasted  with  us.  Happily  it  has  passed 
with  you.  Wesley  and  Whitefield  rose  up  in  your  country  when 
Voltaire  and  Diderot  arose  in  mine ;  but  your  duty  is  to  hear  the 
call  from  those  whose  number  is  growing  in  France,  who  are 
dissatisfied  Avith  scepticism — the  call  which  I  would  bring  to  your 
hearts,  "Come  over  and  help  us."    You  who  are  not  strong  enough  The.Mace- 

'  -t  ft  o      clonian  cry. 

or  sure  enough  of  the  will  of  God  to  go  to  China  or  Africa,  do 
you  want  to  begin  your  training  1  Come  over  to  France  and  make 
a  trial  there.  If  you  do  not  succeed,  it  does  not  matter  much; 
you  are  near  home,  and  can  easily  return.  The  outfit  would  not 
cost  much.  And  if  you  are  a  real  missionary,  I  hope  you  would 
not  go  somewhere  else,  but  stay  and  try  to  make  the  French 
people  missionaries  in  their  turn. 

Perhaps  I  am   not  an  impartial  judge,   but  I   do  not  think  a  promising 
that  at  the  present  time  there  is  in  the  whole  world  a  mission- 
field  so  promising  as  France.     First  of   all,  there  is  no  impedi- 
ment from  the  authorities  or  the  people.      A  few  years  ago — The  Mc  Ail 

Mission 

twenty  years  ago — if  Mr.  McAll  had  gone  to  Paris,  the  Emperor 
Napoleon  would  soon  have  sent  him  back ;  and  even  if  he  had 
allowed  it,  the  people  would  not  have  permitted  him  to  work 
there.  The  French  Protestant  ministers  were  not  received  well 
during  the  time  of  our  prosperity.  But  the  war  has  come,  hearts 
have  been  broken,  and  the  missionary  has  come  to  them,  the 
gospel  has  become  popular,  and  the  gospel  preacher  has  access 
wherever  he  goes.  In  any  village,  town,  or  city  he  is  sure  to  get 
a  large  audience.  We  have  not  had  one  instance,  during  the 
fifteen  years  that  have  passed  since  the  evangelical  movement  was 
started  in  Paris,  of  a  hall  being  opened  for  the  preaching  of 
the  gospel  without  its  soon  being  consecrated  by  the  Lord  by  the 
conversion  of  souls,  even  in  the  small  stations  far  from  the  centre, 
which  are  sometimes  supplied  by  untrained  speakers.  I  know 
several  of  these  halls  in  which  one  can  count  fifty,  or  sixty,  or  a 
hundred  people  who  have  been  brought  into  the  Church  of  Christ 
after  but  a  few  months  of  preaching  the  gospel.     Now  I  would 


60  The  Continent  of  Europe. 

Mons.  R.  ask  our  friends  from  India  or  China,  whether  they  find  it  so  in 
their  work  1  Have  they  not  sometimes  to  labour  for  a  long  time 
without  seeing  any  result  1  I  do  not  say  that  would  be  any  reason 
to  discontinue  working  in  these  lands ;  but  I  say  that  in  France 
the  Spirit  is  moving  upon  the  waters,  and  it  would  be  a  guilty 
thing  on  our  part  not  to  enter  a  door  so  marvellously  opened  by 
the  Lord  Himself. 

Almost  too        In  Paris  the  preaching  of  the  gospel  is  almost  too  easy  and  too 

easy. 

popular.     "We  do  not  meet  the  opposition  that  we  should  expect  as 

missionaries.     Some  time  ago  we   settled  in  the  very  heart  of 

Paris.      Everywhere  around   and  near   our   Mission   Hall   there 

is  evil  and  wickedness.     We  expected  great  opposition.     But  for 

three    years   that    place   has   been    opened   every   night    in   the 

week ;    and  whenever  it  is  opened,  whether  summer  or  winter, 

whether  in  stormy  or   fine  weather,    the   people   come  flocking 

in.     Last   Sunday   the   place  was   too   small,   and  this  happens 

every  Sunday.     Almost  every  night  some  new-comer  will  speak 

to   the   preacher,    and   say   with   tears,    "  Thank   you   for   what 

you  have  said.     This  is  the  first  time  I  have  been  here.     I  do 

not  know  whether  it  is  Protestant  or  Catholic,  but  I  will  come 

again."     So  the  work  goes  on.     And  now  I  am  able  to  say  that 

we  have  in  that  one  place  material  to  form  a  beautiful  little 

mission  church.     I  suppose  sixty  or  seventy  would  be  found,  after 

full  investigation,  to  be,  as  far  as  we  can  judge,  fitted  to  join 

in  the  Lord's  Supper.     I  say  it  again,  there  is  no  field  in  the 

world,  whether  it  be  in  Africa,  Asia,  or  Europe,  so  much  open  to 

the  preaching  of  the  gospel  of  Christ. 

The  young        When  coming  yesterday  in  the  railway  I  saw  a  young  French- 
Frenchman,  i.i  •  i 

man,  a  bright  young  commercial  traveller,  who  was  much  struck 

with  the  difference  between  France  and  England ;  and  he  thought 
even  the  people  looked  different  in  their  faces,  and  were  different 
in  their  behaviour.  I  told  him  that  English  people  owed 
everything  to  Christianity,  while  we,  notwithstanding  our  native 
qualities,  arc  suffering  for  want  of  a  true  form  of  Christianity. 
He  agreed  with  me  that  this  might  be  the  cause  of  our  national 
inferiority. 
The  great  What   is   our   great   want    in    France  1     We    need   men   and 

women  consecrated  to  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  I  ask  your  prayers 
for  myself  and  for  the  work.  Pray  for  me,  and  all  my  fellow- 
labourers  ;  for  dear  Mr.  McAll,  who  is  prevented  being  with  us 
to-day  because  he  is  laid  aside  owing  bo  the  .meat  care  in  connection 


want. 


White  Fields  of  France.  61 

with  finance  at  present.     In  Tunis,   Algiers,   Corsica,  and  other  M°ns.  R. 

Saillens. 

places,  we  have  had.  to  stop  the  work  through  lack  of  funds.  I 
do  not  ask  your  money  just  now ;  hut  I  do  ask  yourselves,  and 
your  prayers.  We  want  young  men  of  twenty  or  twenty-five,  not 
too  old  to  learn  the  language,  and  ladies  too,  in  every  department 
of  the  mission ;  we  want  the  hands  and  hearts  of  Christian 
England.  When  Paris  was  besieged  by  the  armies  of  Germany, 
the  very  first  man  to  enter  the  city  with  food  was  an  Englishman. 
We  have  never  forgotten  that.  No  journalist  will  ever  make  us 
forget  what  we  owe  to  English  men  and  women,  and  especially 
to  the  Christians  of  your  country.  Let  me  say  that  the  French, 
apart  from  a  few  politicians,  love  the  English,  and  have  a  great 
respect  for  them,  and  thankfulness  for  what  they  have  done.  It 
was  Mr.  George  Moore  who  brought  us  the  first  bit  of  bread  we 
had  in  Paris  in  1871,  and  an  Englishman,  Mr.  McAll,  who 
brought  us  the  bread  of  life  to  feed  our  hungry  souls,  and  we 
have  never  forgotten  that.  Do  not  let  anything  said  by  people, 
who  have  no  right  to  the  name  of  Christians,  trouble  our  Christian 
fellowship ;  let  us  be  truly  one  in  heart,  loving  the  same  Lord  and 
Master. 

We  are  thankful  for  what  is  being  done  ;  but  I  would  say  this,  Time  is 

°  '  J  >  short. 

We  do  not  know  how  long  our  liberty  will  last.  I  believe  it  will  last 
long  yet,  but  we  do  not  know.  Now  is  the  time  to  come  and  help 
us.  Dear  friends,  we  are  very  close  at  hand,  come  and  see  our 
meetings,  and  how  hearty  the  people  are,  and  how  they  will 
welcome  you.  You  will,  I  am  sure,  desire  to  visit  us  again ;  and 
at  all  events  you  will  be  glad  to  see  the  work,  and  will  pray  for 
us  more  than  you  have  done  hitherto. 

The  Chairman  said :  I  should  just  like  to  say  that  I  know  from  Mr.  R. 

Radcliffe. 

my  own  experience  how  true  these  facts  are.  When  I  came 
through  Paris,  some  months  ago,  I  was  in  some  of  the  mission 
stations,  and  noticed  that  the  people,  on  week -nights,  were 
crowding  at  the  doors  before  they  were  opened.  Now  we  want 
to  be  practical,  and  before  we  speak  of  Kussia  let  us  join  in 
prayer. 

Mr.  Theodore  Howard  led  in  prayer  for  France. 


62  The  Continent  of  Ewrope. 


THE  HAND   OF  GOD   IN   RUSSIA. 
By  Col.  Pashkofp. 

Colonel  In  Zechariah  iv.  6,  7  we  read  these  words:  "Not  by  might,  nor 
l>y  power,  but  by  My  Spirit,  saith  the  Lord  of  hosts.  Who  art 
thou,  0  great  mountain?  before  Zerubbabel  thou  shalt  become  a 
plain."  These  words  of  Scripture  Lave  come  into  my  mind  with 
al  power,  for  if  ever  they  have  been  fulfilled  it  surely  ha  been 
in  this  vast  empire  of  Russia.  Jt  has  not  indeed  been  by  might, 
nor  by  power,  but  by  II  is  mighty  Spirit  that  the  Lord's  work  has 
been  carried  on  in  my  country,  notwithstanding  all  the  opposition 
that  the  autocratic  government  can  command.  All  that  man  can 
do  bo  stop  the  work  is  brought  to  bear  upon  it.  They  use  al] 
of  means  to  shut  the  mouths  of  the  very  few  Christians  who  arc 
able  to  speak.  They  have  at  least  silenced  the  prominent  ones  by 
sending  Borne  of  them  away,  and  putting  others  into  prison,  and 
some  have  been  forced  bo  leave  the  country;  and  yet  the  work 
goes  on. 

This  work  in  Russia  began  not  so  long  ago,  and  it  is  wonderful 
to  see  how  the  whole  of  the  Lord's  work  there  is  really  an 
illustration  of  the  words  I  have  just  read.     Look  at  one  or  two 

orfginof  the  instances  of  how  the  Lord  works.  Some  years  ago,  during  the 
Crimean  war,  a  copy  of  the  Word  of  God  (which  did  not  then 
exist  in  Russia  in  the  language  commonly  spoken  by  the  people) — 
a  copy  of  the  New  Testament— printed  in  London,  fell  into  the 
bands  of  a  Russian  prisoner  of  war  when  be  came  to  England. 
After  the  war  that  copy  was  brought  by  him  to  Russia,  and  p 
through  the  Custom  bouse  (how  I  do  not  know,  for  any  copies  of 
the  Scriptures,  besides  those  printed  by  the  Synod,  are  prohibited 
in  the  country),  and  then  fell  into  the  hands  of  a  peasant,  a  simple 
Labouring  man,  who  by  reading  this  gospel  was  brought  to  the 
saving  knowledge  of  the  Lord  Je  as  Christ.  After  bis  conversion 
bis  mouth  wa  uni  topped,  and  he  began  to  speak  the  Word  of  the 
Lord  to  those  who  lived  in  his  vicinity;  and  very  soon  a  good 
number  of  people  gathered  round  to  bear  the   Word,  and  many 

Pei  eoution  received  blessing.  At  first  they  did  not  leave  the  church,  thej 
diil  not  cease  going  to  its  services;  but  there  was  a  wonderful 
change  in  their  lives,  and  this  change  excited  against  them  the 


The  Hand  of  God  in  Russia.  63 

priests,   who  started  a   persecution.     This  persecution,    and   the  Colonel 

L  ...  Pashkoff. 

Government  s  action,  was  the  means  of  spreading  the  very  move- 
ment they  wanted  to  check.  They  took  one  of  the  men  who  had 
been  chiefly  used  of  God  in  rousing  the  people,  and  bringing  them 
to  the  knowledge  of  the  Lord ;  they  took  him,  and  sent  him  away 
to  another  province,  setting  him  to  work  in  a  distant  part  of  the 
country.  What  was  the  consequence  1  Why,  that  the  work 
broke  out  in  a  new  district ;  for  he  spoke  the  word  in  the  place  to 
which  ho  was  sent.  Then  when  they  saw  this  they  brought  him 
back  again  to  the  place  where  he  started  his  work.  So  you  see 
one  single  copy  of  the  New  Testament  was  the  means  of  beginning 
a  work  that  is  spreading  all  over  the  south-western  provinces  of 
Russia,  and  almost  to  the  capital. 

Another  instance  of  God's  manner  of  working  is  that  of  a  man  Revival 

i  i  i       -n  i  -i->  i  •     amongst  the 

Avho  could  hardly  speak  a  word  of  Russian,  who  was  converted  m  Molakans. 

an  American  missionary  school  at  Tabrig,  in   Oroomiah — a  man 

coming  from  Persia,  and  sent  of  the  Lord.     This  man,  who,  as  I 

said,  could  hardly  speak  Russian,  but  who  had  learned  to  put  a 

few  words  together,   was  used    by  God  to  kindle  a  revival  in 

many  parts  of  the  country.     Wherever  he  goes  the  work  seems 

to  break  out.     Amongst  the  Molakans — a  sect  dating  from  about 

two  centuries  back,  and  something  like  the  Quakers  here,  who  are 

supposed  to  have  originated  through  the  preaching  of  some  Quaker 

travelling  at  the  time  in  Russia — this  man  has  been  used  by  God 

greatly.     He  has  been  the  means  of  rousing  the  churches,  and 

everywhere  he  went  revivals  took  place,  which  were  remarkable 

for  the  way  in  which  the  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit  was  manifested 

in  bringing  many  to  the  liberty  of  Christ.    Thus  the  Lord  acts  by 

feeble  instruments,  showing  what  He  can  do.     It  is  always  the 

same  :  "  Not  by  might,  nor  by  power,  but  by  My  Spirit."     This, 

I  have  said,  is  the  chief  characteristic  of  the  whole  history  of 

God's  work  in  Russia. 

Another  instance.      Some  years  ago  an  Englishman  came  to  Beginning  of 

J  ,     °  .  the  work  in 

North  Russia — one  whom  I  have  often  seen  on  this  platform — and  the  North. 
was  used  of  God  to  raise  up  some  persons  belonging  to  the 
highest  classes  of  society  ;  not  many,  perhaps  five  or  six,  not  more. 
These,  as  soon  as  they  came  to  know  the  Lord,  were  sent  out  to 
declare  His  truth.  At  that  time  the  Government  in  North 
Russia  had  not  been  accustomed  to  fear  such  movements,  and 
therefore  we  found  wonderful  openings  at  first.  We  were 
sent  by  the  Lord  to  prisons  and  hospitals,  and  God  put  it  into  the 


64 


The  Continent  of  Europe. 


All  classes 
interested. 


Colonel        hearts  of    the  people,   who  for  the  first   time   heard   the   good 
Pashkoff.  . 

tidings,   to  accept  it  as  such.     It  was   really   as   water  poured 

on  the  thirsty  ground ;  and  it  was  marvellous  to  see  how  ready 

the  people  were  to  come  and  listen  to  the  gospel  sounding  for 

the   first   time   in   their   ears.      I  cannot  tell  you  what  it  was 

when  we  began  speaking  to  cabmen,  and  were  invited  by  these 

men  to  come  to  their  homes.     When  we  first  went,  we  had  only 

about  three  or  four  people  at  our  meetings ;  but  we  soon  had  the 

joy  of  seeing  these  men  going  about  and  calling  others  to  come 

in  and  listen  to  the  wonderful  news  which  they  had  never  heard 

before.     The  rooms  began  to   fill  quite  full,   so  that  we  could 

scarcely  find  entrance  ourselves,  because  of  the  crowd  thronging 

so,   and  coming   for   hours   before   the   meeting   began.      So    in 

different   parts   of    the   capital   such   meetings    sprang    up,    and 

went  on  gradually  increasing,  until  at  last  we  had  fifteen  hundred 

people  in  my  house  at  St.   Petersburg  belonging  to  all  classes 

of  society — from  ministers  of  State,  very  near  to  the  emperor,  to 

the  poorest   of    the    people,    who    came    in    their    rags    to   listen 

to    God's    word.      We    had    been    sent,    I    mentioned   before,    to 

the  prisons  and  hospitals ;    and  in  the   former  we  saw  people 

who  were  about  to  be  sent  to  different  parts  of  Siberia.     The 

Lord  seemed  decided  to  take  the  whole  land  at  a  stroke,  and  to 

spread  His  work  everywhere  at  once.     He  was  preparing  workers 

The  convicts  for  Siberia,  and  so  He  sent  us  to  the  prisons  among  the  convicts, 
hundreds  of  whom  heard  the  Word,  and  some  were  brought 
to  the  Lord,  and  went  out  gladly  to  teU  it  to  others.  These  are 
now  scattered  all  over  Siberia,  from  the  Ural  Mountains  to  the 
Pacific  Ocean  and  the  borders  of  China,  and  in  the  most  extreme 
parts  of  that  enormous  country,  spreading  the  Word. 

Thus  the  Lord  is  working  in  many  hearts  in  various  parts,  and 
making  the  seed  sown  to  grow  up.  It  is  wonderful  to  see  how  in 
Russia  His  Word  has  been  carried  about.  It  is  not  by  human 
organization,  but  simply  by  God's  mighty  power  making  every- 
thing work  together  to  accomplish  His  purpose.  It  is  amazing 
when  one  looks  into  it  and  sees  how  God  has  been  pleased  to  use 
poor  and  feeble  instruments  to  bring  forward  His  work. 

Newman  For  instance,  some  time  ago  a  tract,  written  in  England  bv 

Hall's 

Cometo Jesus  Mr.  Newman  Hall,  and  entitled  Come  to  Jesus,  was  translated  into 
the  Russian  language,  and  it  is  one  of  the  tracts  we  have  used  to 
circulate.  A  copy  went  to  a  distant  part,  and  fell  into  the  hands 
of  some  German  colonists  and  some  Russian  peasants.     This  tract 


The  Hand  of  God  in  Russia.  65 

prepared  the  way  for  God's  Word.  It  made  these  people,  quite  Colonel 
ignorant  of  the  love  of  God,  desire  to  know  something  more  about 
it.  When  the  way  had  been  thus  prepared,  there  came  to  that 
place  a  person  selling  copies  of  the  New  Testament  at  such  a  cheap 
price  that  every  man  could  have  it.  As  soon  as  the  man  came  he 
found  prepared  ground,  for  the  people  were  longing  to  hear  about 
the  gospel,  and  many  copies  of  the  New  Testament  were  bought 
by  the  inhabitants  of  the  place.  Afterwards  came  an  evangelist, 
who  gathered  great  crowds  to  listen  to  his  explanations,  and 
many  of  them  believed.  All  this,  you  see,  was  brought  about  by 
means  of  a  single  little  tract.  Thus  many  different  means 
are  being  used  of  the  Lord  to  do  His  will,  every  one  of  which 
does  its  appointed  work  at  the  right  time,  fulfilling  His  purposes. 
When  the  ground  is  once  prepared,  a  missionary  comes  with  the 
whole  gospel;  the  result  being  that  a  revival  takes  place,  after 
which  those  who  have  accepted  Christ  become  in  their  turn 
the  means  of  furthering  the  glad  tidings,  and  so  on.  I  could 
give  you  many  such  instances  of  the  over-ruling  power  of  God, 
and  the  direct  action  of  His  providence  in  these  things.  The 
story  of  the  gospel  in  Eussia  is  full  of  such  small,  unnoticed 
incidents  which  the  Lord  has  used  to  do  a  great  work. 

I  can  only  bring  before  you  one  other  example  of  God's  dealings.  Tracts 
There  has  been  an  exhibition  in  Moscow,  to  which  people  came  broadcast 

1  throughout 

from  all  parts  of  the  empire.    The  Lord  had  already  been  showing  the  Empire. 

forth  His  power  in  such  manner  that  the  Government  were  very 

much  on  their  guard,  and  had  begun  to  oppose  the  work,  doing  all 

they  could  to  stop  it.     They  had  already  begun  to  hinder  the 

publication  of  tracts,  and  had  attempted  to  stop  our  meetings  by 

sending  the  police  to  hinder  us.     As  the  exhibition  was  about  to 

be  opened,  the  members  of  the  Tract  Society  (which  had  not  yet 

been   prohibited)    were   considering    how   to   make   use   of    this 

opportunity  for  the  furthering  of  the  gospel.     A  friend  suggested 

that  tracts  should  be  distributed  in  the  buildings  of  the  exhibition  M°se?w 

exhibition. 

itself.  It  seemed  perfect  folly  to  attempt  it,  and  we  told  him 
that  it  was  impossible.  We  feared  it  was  too  late.  The  Govern- 
ment was  so  opposed  to  Christian  work  carried  on  in  the  capital. 
But  we  prayed  about  it,  and  the  Lord  put  it  into  our  hearts  to 
carry  out  his  suggestion.  Our  friend  went  at  once  to  Moscow, 
when  most  providentially  he  met  the  director  of  the  exhibition  in 
the  train,  and  told  him  that  we  wanted  a  place  there  for  our 
tracts.     The  director  refused,  saying  that  there  was  no  place  left. 

p 


06 


The  Continent  of  Europe. 


Colonel 
Pashkoff. 


A  testing 
time. 


Every 
convert  a 
worker. 


But  on  afterthought  he  added,  "In  the  passage  of  the  main 
entrance  there  is  room  for  a  stand,  if  you  care  to  put  one  there." 
Now  that  was  the  very  best  place  we  could  have  had.  Then  they 
told  us  there  was  another  entrance  at  the  back.  "Would  we  have 
that  also1?  So  we  took  both  places,  and  in  the  course  of  the 
exhibition  distributed  day  after  day  about  30,000  tracts,  making 
a  total  of  nearly  1,250,000  tracts.  It  is  a  fact  worth  noticing, 
that  whilst  a  mere  handful  of  Christians  were  enabled  to  distribute 
such  an  enormous  quantity  of  tracts — a  society  having  for  its 
members  the  friends  and  supporters  of  the  State  Church,  and 
under  the  direct  patronage  of  the  Empress — barely  succeeded  at 
this  exhibition  in  selling  a  few  thousand  copies  of  their  publica- 
tions, which  were  meant  as  an  antidote  to  the  new  religious 
movement.  The  Government  of  Moscow  repeatedly  declared  that 
the  distribution  of  tracts  must  be  stopped;  it  could  not  be 
allowed  to  continue.  They  fully  intended  to  check  the  work, 
but  none  dared  do  so,  for  God  had  purposed  that  it  should  go  on, 
in  defiance  of  an  all  but  unlimited  human  power.  What  was  the 
result1?  That  the  trains  from  Moscow  were  filled  with  people 
reading  these  tracts.  See  how  God  acts.  Man  cannot  defeat 
His  purpose. 

At  the  present  time  the  work  is  in  such  a  state,  that  everyone 
seems  to  be  put  to  the  test,  and  each  individual  Christian  is 
called  upon  to  do  his  part,  for  hitherto  there  has  been  no  human 
organization  at  work  in  the  country.  In  South  Russia  alone  1  w<  i 
missionary  committees  were  started  three  years  ago,  in  1884,  one 
among  the  Baptists,  and  the  other  amongst  the  Presbyterians ; 
and  for  the  first  time  Russian  missionaries  were  sent  out  through 
the  country.  In  1884  there  were  in  South  Russia  sixteen 
missionaries  for  more  than  ninety  millions  of  people;  in  1885 
they  were  already  thirty-three.  Now  the  Lord  seems  even  to 
have  put  forth  His  hand  to  arrest  the  working  of  these  attempts 
at  organization.  Most  of  these  missionaries  are  either  in  prison 
under  sentence  or  are  awaiting  trial.  Some  have  been  let  out  on 
bail,  whilst  others  have  been  obliged  to  leave  the  country,  and 
thus  the  Lord  seems  to  have  stopped  that  form  of  work. 

How  then  does  the  work  go  on1?  Simply  on  account  of  the 
following  fact.  There  is  this  very  hopeful  feature  in  all  the 
religious  movements  in  Russia — that  every  convert  seems  at  once 
to  become  in  a  quiet  way  a  worker.  He  has  his  mouth  unstopped, 
and  begins  to  publish  the  glad  tidings  as  he  finds  opportunity. 


The  Hand  of  God  in  Russia.  67 

So  the  Government  may  do  what  it  likes,  and  what  it  has  in  its  Colonel 

0  '  Pashkoff. 

power  to  do  to  crush  out  the  work ;  but  it  cannot,  simply  because 
every  convert  is  a  witness,  and  God  is  spreading  the  good  news  all 
over  the  country  in  precisely  the  same  way  as  in  apostolic  times. 
It  is  like  a  fire  spreading,  and  cannot  be  quenched. 

At  present  everything  seems  at  an  end,  and  there  is  only 
one  single  man  (now  on  this  platform,  Dr.  Baedeker)  who  is 
accorded  the  facility  of  going  on  with  the  work.  I  do  not  know 
how  the  Lord  has  kept  the  door  open  for  him,  but  He  has  done 
so,  and  for  him  there  is  entrance  everywhere,  especially  in  the 
South ;  and  God  blesses  his  work,  while  everyone  else  is  hindered. 
Will  not  that  stir  your  hearts  to  pray  that  God  may  put  away 
the  hindrances,  or  otherwise  to  use  them,  as  He  has  already  done, 
to  further  His  work  1  He  has  overruled  many  things  to  show  His 
power,  and  to  prove  that  He  cannot  be  put  aside  by  human 
opposition. 

I   must   acknowledge   here   the   great    work   the   British   and  Bible  work. 
Foreign  Bible  Society  is  doing.     It  is  wonderful  how  often  the 
people  have  been  blessed  through  the  reading  of  the  Word  sold 
to  them  by  these  colporteurs  in  the  villages.     Wherever  it  goes 
God  gives  blessing. 

There  is  another  society,  a  very  small  one,  the  Russian  Bible  g}^11 
Society.  God  has  put  it  into  the  hearts  of  the  American  Bible  Society. 
Society  to  send  them  help.  They  are  very  poor;  but  the  Americans, 
by  sending  them  funds,  have  enabled  them  to  send  the  Scriptures 
in  the  Russian  language  to  Siberia ;  and  now  in  one  town  of  5000 
inhabitants  there  are  some  1500  copies  of  the  Scriptures.*  This 
will  give  you  an  idea  of  what  a  thirst  there  is  for  God's  Word. 
Thus  Russia  is  now  being  as  it  were  permeated  by  the  written 
Word  of  God,  which  penetrates  where  preaching  is  impossible. 
Happily  the  Russian  priesthood  is  not  adverse  to  the  circulation 
of  the  Bible.  That  is  one  thing  for  which  we  may  praise  God 
and  be  thankful.  They  are  not  enemies  of  the  Word,  and  some 
of  the  priests  themselves  are  members  of  the  Bible  Society,  and 
so  help  in  the  spread  of  God's  Word.  I  pray  that  God  may 
continue  to  use  His  feeble  instruments,  which  are  so  few  in 
number,  as  He  has  done  hitherto.     It  is  a  remarkable  fact  that 


*  The  Russian  Bible  Society  is  authorized  to  circulate  the  Scriptures  only 
in  the  Buss  and  Slavonic  languages.  It  therefore  only  affects  a  limited 
portion  of  the  population  of  Siberia.  (See  map  in  Bible  Society's  Report, 
1886,  opp.  p.  129  ;  and  see  Slavs,  p.  130.) 

F  2 


68  The  Continent  of  Europe. 

Colonel        there  are  barely  ten  educated  and  truly  converted  men  now  engaged 

PASHKOFP.  J  J  ir. 

in  His  work  in  my  country.  In  every  part  of  the  country  the 
work  goes  forward.  Is  it  not  true,  that  "not  by  might,  nor  by 
power,  but  by  My  Spirit,  saith  the  Lord  "  1 

Mr.  it.  Mr.  Eeginald  Radcliffe  said  :  Now  we  must  pray  for  Russia, 

and  ere  doing  so  I  would  venture  to  suggest  that  we  should  extend 
our  prayers.  Our  dear  French  brother  (Saillens)  will  not  be 
offended  with  me  if  I  say  I  wish  all  the  French  converts  could 
be  Russianized,  and  all  the  Italian  converts  too.  I  mean  by  that, 
that  like  these  dear  Russians,  each  individual  should  be  ready  to 
stand  up  and  confess  Christ  to  their  fellows. 

After  prayer  by  Mr.  B.  Broomhall,  hymn  No.  29  was  sung — 

"  Revive  Thy  work,  0  Lord, 
Thy  work  of  quickening  power." 


RUSSIA    AND    GERMANY. 

By  Dr.  Baedeker. 

Dr.  It  is  not  a  hard  work  to  preach  the  gospel  to  the  Russians,  they 

are  so  ready  to  receive  it.  I  have  crossed  the  country  again  ami 
again,  from  north  to  south,  and  from  east  to  west,  and  have  every- 
where found  the  same  readiness  to  listen  to  the  simple  story  of 
God's  love.  There  is  no  need  for  eloquence,  no  need  of  knowing 
the  language.     You  all  know,  doubtless,  the  little  book  called  Tfu 

Tlie  Wordless 

Book.  Wordless  Bool:     I  gave  one  of  these  little  books  to  a  Russian 

peasant  in  South  Russia,  and  explained  it  as  well  I  could,  and 
went  away  to  another  part.  Two  years  after,  when  in  St. 
Petersburg,  some  of  these  Russian  peasants  came  from  all  parts  of 
Russia,  and  as  soon  as  this  man,  who  was  among  them,  saw  me,  lie 
called  out,  "Kneegy"  ("the  man  with  the  book").  They  wanted 
to  have  more  of  these  little  books  without  words,  and  told  me 
that  this  little  book  had  been  instrumental  in  bringing  about  a 
revival  in  the  place  where  it  was  given.  So  you  see  how 
receptive  the  people  are. 

Russia  a  Russia  is  a  country  of  many  nationalities  and  many  languages. 

manyna-      I  have  had  occasion  to  speak  in  about  ten  differenl  languages, 

tionalitics. 

mostly  by  interpretation.     I  have  spoken  i"  the   Finns,  a  very 
Many  large   population   in    the  north;   also   to    the    Swedes,    who   are 

numerous;    to   the    Russians,    to    Fsthonians,    Letts,    Armenians, 


Russia  and  Germany.  69 

Tartars,  Jews,  Germans.     It  would  take  me  too  long,  being,  as  I  Dr. 

'  '  &■>&■>  Baedeker. 

am,  an  old  man,  to  learn  all  these  languages ;  but  I  always  found 
interpreters.  Sometimes  in  conversation  with  a  Russian  the  New 
Testament  served  as  interpreter.  The  Russian  having  the  book  in 
Russ,  and  I  in  German,  we  were  able  to  converse  through  the 
words  of  Scripture.  Evangelists  need  not  delay  their  going  into 
the  foreign  field  on  account  of  their  ignorance  of  the  language. 
Provided  their  heart  is  burning  with  the  love  of  Christ,  and  they 
have  the  message  from  the  Master,  a  translator  will  easily  be 
found.  I  have  sometimes  had  Jews  to  interpret  for  me.  The 
Russians  are  good  linguists,  are  most  courteous,  and  besides  there 
are  many  who  are  eager  to  help  in  spreading  the  gospel.  It  would 
be  difficult,  if  not  impossible,  to  travel  over  England  without 
knowing  the  English  language  ;  it  is  quite  different  in  Russia.  A 
Russian  will  try  two  or  three  languages  until  he  finds  some  one  in 
which  he  can  make  himself  understood  by  you.  Thus  it  is  easy 
to  go  as  a  witness  to  Russia,  and  preach  the  glorious  gospel. 

Then  one  thing  I  have  been  thinking  while  sitting  here  is,  that  Every  one 

°  °  °  '  who  receives 

there  would  be  no  need  in  Russia  of  such  a  missionary  conference  the  Gospel  a 

°  missionary. 

as  this  one  we  have  been  holding.  Everyone  who  receives  the 
gospel  becomes  a  missionary.  It  is  just  like  in  the  days  of  the 
apostles.  They  did  not  need  special  conferences  for  missions. 
It  was  an  understood  thing  that  those  who  received  must  give  out 
to  others  what  they  had  received.  "Freely  ye  have  received, 
freely  give."  According  to  the  words  of  the  apostle  Paul,  who 
acknowledged  himself  a  debtor  both  to  Greeks  and  to  the 
barbarians,  both  to  Jew  and  Gentile ;  and  he  said,  "  I  must 
preach  the  gospel.  Woe  is  me  if  I  do  not  preach  the  gospel." 
So  I  beg  of  you  to  pray  for  this  same  spirit  to  be  renewed  in  us, 
so  that  we  may  be  stirred  up,  not  by  conferences,  but  by  the 
power  of  the  living  God,  to  carry  to  others  the  glad  news  we 
have  received.  Remember,  we  are  debtors  to  our  fellow-men, 
and  it  is  not  a  hard  thing  to  go  and  pay  one's  debt.  It  is  a 
matter  of  duty — a  duty  too  much  neglected,  I  fear,  in  our  days, 
when  we  have  been  heaping  up  riches,  instead  of  scattering. 

I  am  almost  ashamed,  when  I  come  to  England  to  preach 
the  gospel,  to  see  the  number  of  Christians  who  know  it  as 
well  as  I  do,  and  who  could  preach  it  as  well  as  I  do.  Why  it 
is  an  accumulation  of  wealth,  a  heaping  up  of  things  intended 
for  others.  I  may  take  you  in  thought  to  a  little  valley  in  Ul}?raij£?j 
Switzerland,    which   has   often   taught   me   a   wonderful    lesson.  °f  water. 


70 


Hie  Continent  of  Europe. 


Dr. 

Baedeker. 


Valley 
healed. 


Much 

stagnation. 


Where  is  my 

channel? 


Germans  in 
Russia. 


That  valley  is  now  verdant  and  beautiful — full  of  fruit-trees  and 
beautiful  green  meadows,  and  productive  in  every  respect ;  every- 
thing is  prosperous  there.  But  the  same  valley  some  fifty  years 
ago  had  no  fruit-trees  or  green  meadows.  About  that  time  it  was 
little  more  than  a  stagnant  marsh,  and  the  people  who  lived  there 
were  miserable,  diseased  objects,  cretins,  and  deformed;  while 
those  who  were  born  there  were,  many  of  them,  dwarfs  and 
cripples.  It  was  in  this  sad  condition  when,  one  day,  a  Swiss 
gentleman  came  to  the  place  and  looked  at  it  from  the  hilltop. 
Then  he  said,  "What  a  sad  thing  it  is  to  see  this  condition 
of  things,  and  all  through  the  water  coming  down  from  the  snow- 
clad  hills  and  finding  no  outlet.  Confined  here,  it  becomes 
stagnant,  and  breeds  fever  and  sickness  and  unfruitfulness." 
Then  he  looked  over  the  valley  and  considered  its  shape,  and 
exclaimed,  "Why  this  valley  can  be  cured  in  a  very  little  time." 
He  undertook  it,  and  made  just  one  channel  into  a  lake,  and  then 
another  channel  to  lead  it  into  another  lake ;  and  so  the  valley 
was  drained,  and  ever  since  has  been  cured.  Instead  of  stagnation 
there  is  fruitfulness  and  beauty.  Now  it  strikes  me  that  is  what 
we  need  in  these  days,  there  is  so  much  stagnation.  People 
receiving  blessing,  and  storing  up  blessing,  heaping  up  riches 
to  themselves,  and  keeping  the  blessing  back,  until  it  becomes 
like  a  stagnant  pool;  so  there  is  no  fruit.  Oh  that  channels 
might  be  opened,  that  the  living  water  might  flow  from  this  land 
of  yours  to  those  lands  of  which  we  have  been  hearing,  that 
they  might  be  flooded  with  spiritual  floods  of  the  glorious  gospel, 
the  riches  and  blessing  of  England !  Then,  I  believe,  I 
would  be  no  need  of  our  coming  together,  as  we  do  at  this 
conference,  to  hear  speeches,  and  to  consult  about  ways  and 
means.  We  should  soon  have  the  men  and  the  means  if  every 
man  and  woman  would  ask  before  the  Lord,  "Where  is  my 
channel1?     Where  may  I  pour  out  that  thou  hast  given  me  ?" 

Well  now,  as  you  have  been  told,  1  am  a  German,  but  my 
heart  grew  somehow  very  much  larger  as  I  have  seen  so  much  of 
the  needs  of  the  great  empire  of  which  1  have  spoken.  But  in 
going  to  Russia.,  my  first  object  was  to  reach  the  Germans,  who  are 
scattered  over  Russia  from  north  to  south  and  east  to  west.  I 
do  not  forget  there  are  Germans  in  Germany,  and  Germans  in 
Austria,  in  Canada,  and  America,  in  Australia,  and  almost  every- 
where. My  heart  burns  for  these  my  fellow-countrymen;  and  I 
do   wish    you   would    take   up   my   own   country   and  people   with 


Russia  and  Germany.  71 

more  zeal  and  enemy  than  yon  have  done.     There  is  a  dear  man  Dr- 

OJ  J  _  Baedeker. 

of    God,  Dr.   Ziemann,   now  working  almost  alone  amongst  my 
brethren.     He  is  single-handed.     Why  should  not  half  a  dozen  Dr.  ziemann 

.  T  in  Germany. 

English  evangelists  go  to  himl  If  they  cannot  speak  German, 
he  will  translate  for  them,  or  find  someone  to  do  it.  If  they  go 
out  they  will  find  wide  doors  open,  and  a  great  desire  for  the 
Word.  Here  yon  have  the  gospel  almost  everywhere.  In  the 
street  a  man  hears  the  open-air  preacher,  and  he  can  hardly  walk 
far  without  hearing  the  gospel  ontside,  or  being  invited  to  hear 
it  inside  a  hall  or  some  place.  At  the  corner  a  tract  is  pushed 
into  his  hand.  If  he  enters  a  railway-carriage  or  tram-car,  there 
is  frequently  someone  waiting  to  place  the  gospel  before  him  or 
give  him  a  tract  dealing  with  the  love  of  God.  Dear  friends, 
do  not  keep  all  this  blessing  to  yourselves ;  pass  it  on  to  others. 
Let  this  be  the  purpose  of  our  hearts — that  what  we  have  received 
we  owe  to  others.  There  are  now  men  and  women  over  the  ^tors. 
whole  face  of  the  earth  to  whom  we  are  debtors,  to  whom  we  owe 
this  glorious  gospel.  India,  China,  Japan,  Kussia,  Germany, 
these  are  channels  through  which  we  may  let  the  living  water 
flow ;  and  in  that  way  your  Christianity  will  become  truly  fruitful 
not  only  abroad,  but  at  home.  It  would  be  a  power  in  your  own 
land,  instead  of  being,  too  often,  as  a  stagnant  pool  "  having  the 
form  of  godliness,  but  denying  the  power  thereof."  And  oh,  what 
an  unsatisfying  thing  that  is  ! 

Then  I  should  like  to  say  a  little  more  about  Kussia.  In  the 
north  you  have  Finland,  and  that  is  a  free  land.  Again,  in  the 
south  you  have  the  Caucasus,  and  there  too  there  is  liberty  for  Caucasus 
the  gospel.  I  travelled  lately  from  Batoum  to  Baku,  and  I  found 
hundreds  of  Christians  exiled  for  the  sake  of  the  truth  they  had 
received.  But  when  once  exiled  the  government  leaves  them 
alone,  no  one  looks  after  them,  and  so  they  are  ready  to  welcome 
you ;  and  there  is  a  grand  opportunity  to  preach  the  gospel  with 
full  liberty.  Thus  in  many  parts  God  is  opening  the  way  to  those 
who  are  willing  to  go  in  His  service.  The  doors  are  open ;  and  if 
the  front  door  is  closed,  the  back  door  is  very  often  open ;  and  if 
one  is  only  humble  enough  and  little  enough  to  get  in  by  the 
back  door,  it  is  a  blessed  thing  just  to  go  and  tell  them  the 
gospel.  Will  you  not  be  willing  to  go  anywhere  and  do  anything 
for  the  spread  of  this  gospel  1 

Then  iust  a  word  or  two  about  some  countries  which  are  much  Countries 

0  neglected 

neglected,  and  indeed  very  often  forgotten  ;  not  only  in  our  efforts,  *nd  „ 

<>  o  J  '  forgotten. 


72 


TJie  Continent  of  Europe. 


Roman 

Catholic 

countries. 


Dr.  but  even  in  our  prayers.     I  mean  the  Roman  Catholic  countries 

Baedeker.  _  x      u 

of  Austria,  Bavaria,  and  that  large  and  beautiful  country  Hungary. 
All  these  lands  are  open,  and  only  waiting  for  men  and  women  to 
come  and  bring  them  the  message  of  peace.  Will  you  not  go  and 
preach  from  the  platforms  1  You  may  be  hindered  from  preaching 
in  churches,  but  you  can  preach  on  the  platform.  You  will  get 
permission  to  address  the  people  on  any  stated  subject;  you  can 
give  them  the  gospel  all  the  same.  You  are  not  permitted  to  sing 
a  hymn  at  opening,  but  you  can  do  without  that ;  I  do  not  think 
the  apostle  Paul  sang  a  hymn  at  the  commencement  of  his  address 
at  Athens.  You  will  not  be  permitted  to  open  with  prayer,  at 
least  not  audible,  and  I  rather  think  that  on  Mars'  Hill  the  apostle 
Paul  did  not  open  with  a  public  prayer.  So,  you  see,  if  the  old 
and  usual  paths  are  shut  up,  there  are  other  means  of  entering 
and  doing  the  work.  Do  not  stick  at  difficulties,  but  strike  out 
new  paths ;  and  if  you  cannot  speak  to  the  people  in  their  own 
tongue,  do  it  by  interpretation.  You  are  at  liberty  to  tell  the 
people  what  you  want  them  to  know,  and  surely  that  is  sufficient  to 
bring  in  the  whole  gospel.  In  this  way  you  will  find  openings  in 
Bavaria,  that  poor,  dark  Romanist  country,  where  the  people  are 
kept  in  darkness  from  being  so  much  under  the  power  of  the 
Roman  Catholic  Church;  yet,  for  the  most  part,  do  not  believe 
either  in  the  Pope  or  in  his  church.  We  may  go  there,  as  I  have 
been  once  or  twice,  and  give  addresses  in  public  halls.  Why,  the 
people  come  together  in  crowds,  especially  men  and  women  of 
intelligence,  who,  while  held  down  by  these  Popish  doctrines,  are 
very  much  ashamed  of  them,  and  longing  to  know  something 
better.  The  gospel,  you  will  find,  is  the  power  of  God  there  as 
with  us  here.  I  wish  you  would  work  out  these  large  fields  in 
Central  Europe.  You  know,  in  these  travelling  days,  how  Mr. 
Cook  sends  whole  bands  of  travellers  amongst  these  lands.  Why 
should  not  there  be  some  Christian  agency,  forming  whole  bands 
of  Christian  men  and  women,  taking  them  everywhere  and  any- 
where throughout  Europe1?  very  much  as  the  tourists  go,  and 
carrying  with  them  the  precious  gospel,  preaching  it  with  hear! 
and  energy  in  the  cities  and  capitals,  and  in  the  villages  too,  of 
Gospel  from  Europe.  Surely  they  might  go  from  one  place  to  another,  preach- 
fonn.P  ing  the  gospel  from  platforms  if  they  cannot  from  church  or 
chapel.  There  is  a  large  field  open;  you  need  but  enter  in.  You 
in  England,  this  privileged  land,  have  the  gospel  in  all  its  purity 
and  all  its  fulness. 


Obedience  and  Blessing.  73 

Surely,  if  you  have  such  a  gospel,  you  should  send  it  to  others  P1'- 

IjAEDEKEK. 

who  have  not  got  it.  Eememher,  the  gospel  is  the  same  power  of 
God  unto  salvation  amongst  the  Germans  and  Bavarians,  and 
Austrians  and  Hungarians,  and  Poles  and  Bulgarians,  and  Serbs 
and  Russians.  The  same  story  of  Jesus  and  His  love  will 
win  these  people. 

May  we  all  be  turned  into  Russians,  in  the  sense  that  we  may 
be  willing,  as  they  are,  to  tell  the  story  of  salvation.  May  every  Every 
converted  man  and  woman,  every  believer  in  the  Lord  Jesus  missionary. 
Christ,  become  a  missionary  with  his  whole  heart,  and  realize 
that  God  has  given  him  the  honour  of  carrying  out  His  purposes, 
His  glorious  purposes,  throughout  the  whole  world.  Who  will 
go  with  this  gospel  1  God  will  bless  His  word  if  you  thus  carry 
it  out  to  the  peoples  of  the  earth.  May  God  bless  those  dear 
Russians  who  are  suffering  persecution  for  His  name's  sake, 
who  are  carrying  the  gospel  into  prison  and  exile. 

Praise  God,  the  gospel  cannot  be  stopped.  God  bless  Russia  !  Prayer  f°r 
Let  us  not  only  pray  now,  but  let  us  continue  in  prayer  for 
Russia,  and  for  the  continent  of  Europe,  and  those  Roman 
Catholic  countries  of  Europe,  which  have  hardly  ever  been 
touched  by  the  gospel.  The  boundary-line  between  a  Roman 
Catholic  country  and  a  Protestant  was  drawn  three  or  four 
hundred  years  ago,  and  no  one  steps  across  to  his  neighbour  to 
tell  him  the  Good  News.  Is  there  not  something  wrong  1  May 
God  cure  us,  as  that  man  cured  the  valley  of  which  you  have 
heard ;  cure  us  by  making  each  one  of  us  a  channel  to  carry  off 
the  stagnant  water,  and  let  the  blessing  flow  on,  for  His 
name's  sake. 


OBEDIENCE    AND    BLESSING. 

By  Mr.  Reginald  Radclifpe. 
I  have  here  a  letter  from  Mr.  Spencer  Walton,  in  which  he  says  :  Mr.  u. 

x  "        Radcliffe. 

"  Pray  for  us  at  the  Conference,  and  for  me.  I  am  hoping  next 
October  to  go  to  India  on  a  pioneering  expedition  to  our  own  a  new 
countrymen,  who  are  the  greatest  hindrance  to  the  advance  of  the 
gospel.  Then  I  come  back  to  England  to  get  recruits  before 
settling  down  in  foreign  work.  It  is  a  crisis  in  my  life.  I  feel 
the  need  of  prayer,  and  so  I  do  ask  for  it." 

If  many  of  these  evangelists  traversing  our  own  country  would  j^^6™*8 


74  TJie  Continent  of  Europe. 

Eadctjffe  o°  to  ^n^as  to  Russia,  or  to  China,  it  would  be  a  blessing,  fur 
Gocl  would  give  us  I  believe  ten  to  take  the  place  of  every  one 
who  so  would  go.  There  is  that  witholdeth  more  than  is  meet, 
and  it  tendeth  to  poverty;  and  there  is  that  scattereth  and  yet 
increaseth.  Well,  let  us  read  out  of  Numbers  xiii.,  and  see  how 
many  volunteers  there  were.  The  people  were  not  willing  to  go. 
They  found  the  land  good,  but  they  were  afraid.     Caleb  said, 

Caleb's         "Let  us  go  up  ...  for  we  are  well  able  to  overcome  it."     Shall 

testimony.  °         x 

the  words  of  our  French  brother,  and  of  dear  Colonel  Pashkoff  and 
Dr.  Baedeker,  inspire  us  to  spread  over  the  earth  without  needing 
to  be  swept  out  of  London  by  persecution  1  The  early  converts 
stayed  in  Jerusalem  till  endued  with  power  from  on  high;  but 
then  they  found  Conferences  so  enjoyable  and  so  pleasant !  They 
found  so  much  comfort  and  ecstasy  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  whilst 
singing  and  communing  together,  that  we  know  not  how  long 

PCTsecutiouy  ^iey  mi»ht  have  tarried  at  Jerusalem.  But  they  were  scattered 
by  the  persecution  recorded  in  Acts  viii.,  which  was  followed  by 
many  more  bloody  persecutions,  tending  mightily  to  the  rapid 
spread  of  the  gospel.  The  gospel  is  prohibited  in  Eussia,  yet  it 
spreads  rapidly.  How  1  Because,  though  meetings  may  not  be  held, 
yet  the  Russian  convert,  if  he  may  not  speak  in  public,  is  bold 
and  earnest  to  confess  Christ,  and  tell  how  He  has  saved 
himself.  Well,  we  want  to  be  scattered  over  the  wide  world  just 
now ;  and  do  not  we  want  to  be  Russianised,  and  sent  to  China, 
and  India,  and  everywhere1?  Dr.  Somerville,  in  his  address  as 
Moderator  of  the  Free  Church  Assembly,  says:  "All  honour  to 
the  Salvation  Army  for  their  Christian  pluck  and  courage  in  going 
to  the  heathen  !  Who  should  be  the  Salvation  Army  for  the  world 
if  not  the  universal  church  of  Christ  V  *     What  is  a  church  for? 

The  Church  Xot  to  stick  at  home.     It  is  to  be  an  army  to  go  to  the  ends  of 

an  army.  J  ° 

the  earth  on  TJod's  service,  or  else  to  be  rebels.  The  Christian 
church  must  either  be  an  army  of  soldiers  or  of  rebels.  See  in 
Numbers  xiv.  what  Joshua  and  Caleb  say,  "If  the  Lord  delight 
in  us,  then  He  will  bring  us  into  this  land,  and  give  it  us  ;  a  land 
which  floweth  with  milk  and  honey.  Only  rebel  nut  ye  against 
the  Lord,  neither  fear  ye  the  people  of  the  land;  for  they  are 
bread  for  us :  their  defence  is  departed  from  them,  and  the  Lord 
is  with  us:  fear  them  not."  Do  not  be  rebels;  hut  they  would 
lir  rebels,  and  so  their  carcases  were  to  lie  in  the  wilderness,  ami 


*  See  Evangelic i ti i) ii  of  the  World,  p.  22,  by  Dr.  Somerville. 


Obedience  and  Blessing.  75 

they  were  not  to  enter  the  promised  land.     They  preferred  to  stay  ^Ir-  R- 

°  *■  J    L  J    Radcliffe. 

at  home,  and  so  were  rehels. 

Now,  shall  the  Lord  he  with  us  at  this  Conference  1  If  Ave 
want  the  Lord  to  be  with  us,  if  Ave  want  to  be  filled  with  the 
Holy  Ghost,  we  must  be  obedient,  we  must  yield  implicit  and 
instantaneous  obedience  to  the  living  God.  Let  us  be  ready  at 
His  behest  to  fly  where  He  points.  If  He  appoints  us  to  stick 
at  home,  let  us  stick  here ;  for  the  Lord  says,  "  I  will  go  A\Tith 
thee."  The  Lord  Avill  go  Avith  us  to  India,  to  Russia,  or  anywhere. 
All  poAver  ha  heaven  and  earth  is  His,  and  He  will  go  Avith  us  to  No  blessing 

x  '  m  dis- 

the  ends  of  the  earth.  How  can  Ave  have  this  poAver  %  By  obedience, 
sticking  at  home  in  disobedience  1  No ;  it  is  for  the  obedient. 
The^  can  claim  that  promise  and  blessing — "  Go  and  preach  the 
gospel  to  eArery  creature."  "  Lo,  I  am  with  you  alway."  Yet  He 
says  better  than  go ;  for  does  He  not  say,  "  I  am  with  you  to 
the  end  of  the  world'"?  Does  He  not  say,  Come  with  Me  to 
India,  to  China,  to  Russia  1  Let  us  then  go  with  Christ ;  let  Him 
lead  us. 

Mr.  Wilkie,  a  converted  German,  briefly  asked  prayer  for  his 
countrymen,  and  the  proceedings  of  the  first  day  terminated. 


HEATHEN  LANDS:  INDIA  AND  CHINA. 

Wednesday  Moening,  October  6th,  1886. 


After  a  season  of  silent  prayer,  hymn  No.  43  was  sung — 

"All  hail  the  power  of  Jesus'  name  ! 
Let  angels  prostrate  fall." 

Mr.   Frank  H.  White  presented   prayer,    and  the  Chairman 
gave  the  first  address  on 


INDIAN    MISSIONS. 
By  Major-General  Sir  R.  Phayre,  K. C.S.I. 
Major-         For  the  purpose  of  introducing  the  deeply-important  subject  of 

General  Sir    T    n  .-.«-•     ■  it-  i  •  i     • 

r.  Phayre.  Indian  Missions,  and  their  present  prospects,  which  is  to  occupy 
our  attention  this  morning,  I  have  compiled  from  the  annual 
reports  of  some  of  our  leading  missionary  societies  the  progress 
made,  and  the  prospects  of  successfully  prosecuting  the  work 
which  now  present  themselves,  if  the  earnest  appeals  which  are 
being  made  to  the  public  on  behalf  of  the  great  cause  are  con- 
scientiously responded  to  in  a  substantial  manner. 

The  progress  The  evidence  adduced  shows,  I  submit,  that  though,  on  the  one 
hand,  we  seem  to  all  outward  appearance  to  be  only  at  the 
beginning  of  the  work  after  a  century's  labour,  yet  that  taking 
into  account  all  who  have  believed  and  died  in  the  faith  of  Christ 
during  that  century  at  the  word  of  our  missionaries,  as  well  as 
the  three  millions  of  open  converts  who  are  now  down  on  the 
returns,  we  have  cause  for  the  deepest  thankfulness,  remembering 
always  that  whilst  duties  are  ours  results  are  God's,  and  that  we 
go  forward  in  full  reliance,  thai  what  God  has  promised  in  His 
most  holy  word  He  will  surely  perform  ;  and  that  in  due  season 
we  shall  reap  every  jot  and  tittle  of  those  promises  to  the  extent 
of  the  earth  being  tilled  with  the  knowledge  of  the  Lord,  as  the 


Indian  Missions.  77 

waters  cover  the  sea.     If  we  faint  not,  faithful  is  He  who  calleth  Major- 
General  Sir 
us,  who  also  will  do  it.  R.  Phayee. 

Commencing   with  the  Church  Missionary  Society's  work  in 
India,  "  the  Committee  thank  God  for  many  young  aspirants  for  Missionary 
missionary  service.      The  universities  of  Cambridge  and  Dublin  Annual 
are  manifesting  much  missionary  spirit,  and  the  present  need  of  isso. 
men  of  some  ministerial  experience  for  important  posts  in  India 
and  Africa  is  as  great  as  ever. 

"  The  ordinary  expenditure  of  the  Society  was  last  year  £211,992, 
which  leaves  a  deficit  of  £7370,  and  estimates  exceeding  by  £11,000 
the  income  of  last  year. 

"The  progress  in  Tinnevelly  has  been  very  good.  Native 
churches  are  planning  their  own  work,  and  sending  forth  their 
own  missionaries.  Native  Christian  lay  workers  are  showing 
the  true  missionary  spirit.     Thus  there  is  fruit  in  Tinnevelly. 

"At  Aurungabad  255  adults  have  been  baptized.  There  are  many 
more  who  believe  in  the  truth  of  the  gospel,  but  remain  un- 
baptized.  The  number  of  the  neutral  type  is  considerable  in 
India  generally. 

"  Great  progress  has  been  made  by  the  ladies  of  the  Church  of  Report  of 
England  Zenana  Missionary  Society.  Society 

"  The  Medical  Missions  in  Kashmir,  on  the  Afghan  frontier,  and  England). 
at  Amritsar,  on  the  Punjaub,   have  exercised  a  most  beneficent 
influence,  and  are  most  valuable  in  attracting  people  to  hear  the 
gospel. 

"  New  missions  have  been  established  at  Quetta  and  Aden, — the 
former  in  Beloochistan,  the  latter  in  Arabia. 

"The  Committee  are  sure  that  such  a  report  as  that  now  sub- 
mitted will  send  many  of  their  friends  to  the  throne  of  grace  in 
humble  and  hearty  thanksgiving  as  well  as  fervent  intercession." 

There  is  the  one  cloud  of  straitened  resources,  possibly  heavy 
deficiency,  and  then  the  sorrowful  task  of  retrenchment.  Pray 
to  the  Lord  Jesus  to  avert  this  retrogression.  This  want  of  funds 
is  not  confined  to  the  Church  Missionary  Society  by  any  means. 

In  the  Punjaub  and  Sinde  Mission  of  this  Society  mention  is  Medical 
made  of  the  work  of  the  Kev.  John  Williams,  native  Medical 
Missionary  at  Tank.  He  has  worked  there  many  years  among  a 
people  whose  hearts  are  said  to  be  as  hard  as  their  hills;  yet 
some  have  not  been  able  to  resist  the  loving  gentleness  of  their 
"faqir  doctor." 

In  1885  6104  new  cases  were  treated  in  the  hospital,  and  5643 


78  Heathen  Lands :   India  and  China. 

Major-         old  ones — 11,747  in  all:  also  1181  minor  operations  and  99  major 

General  Sir  '  ;  x  d 

r.  Phayre.  were  performed  by  Mr.  Williams. 

Miss  Johnson  is  at  Deyra  Ismail  Khan,  an  important  military 
and  political  centre.  She  uses  the  opportunities  that  come  within 
her  reach  for  teaching  the  gospel  to  the  women  of  the  vicinitj7. 
Women  come  for  medicine,  sometimes  as  many  as  fifty  or  sixty 
in  the  day,  and  hardly  a  day  passes  without  one  visit  at  least  to 
the  city •  and  she  is  also  frequently  called  to  the  villages.  Patients 
come  from  twenty  to  thirty  miles  distant  on  camels,  bullocks,  or 
ponies.  In  1885  more  than  4000  visits  were  made  to  her,  and  of 
these  many  were  Afghan  Pushtoo-speaking  women ;  also  the  wives 
of  Povinda  merchants,  or  of  Waziris  from  the  hills. 

Reaching  The  Kev.  Imam  Shah  writes  a  very  wood  report  of  the  various 

the  Afghans.  .  .  J   £>  1 

agencies  for  reaching  the  Afghans. 

In  April  last  year,  on  the  return  of  the  Ameer  of  Afghanistan 
to  Kabul,  Mr.  Jukes,  the  missionary  at  Peshawur,  presented  his 
highness  with  a  handsomely -bound  copy  of  the  New  Testament  in 
Pushtoo.     In  reply  the  Ameer  wrote  as  follows : 

"  I  have  received  your  letter,  and  regret  with  you  that  I  had  no 
opportunity  of  seeing  you.  I  was  exceedingly  sorry  that,  during 
my  visit  to  the  Punjab,  I  was  unable  to  see  more  of  the  British 
thought  and  learning ;  but  everything  has  its  allotted  time.  The 
copy  of  the  gospel  which  you  kindly  sent  I  receive  with  great 
reverence.  Although  I  do  not  consider  myself  bound  by  all  that 
is  written  therein,  I  shall  nevertheless  treat  it  with  that  respect, 
which  is  its  due,  as  a  booh  sent  to  us  by  God.  I  shall  take  great 
interest  in  its  perusal.  I  shall,  moreover,  take  extracts  of  all  those 
passages  which  correspond  with  the  Koran,  as  well  as  all  such 
passages  as  may  be  interesting  and  striking,  and  shall  try  to  act  up 
to  them.  It  is  with  great  pleasure  that  I  receive  this  the  best  of 
all  my  presents." 

Want  of  space  prevents  our  extracting  more  from  these  highly 
interesting  annual  reports;  but  those  who  know  India  ami  1  In- 
North- West  frontier  can  estimate  the  value  of  the  work  from  even 
these  brief  extracts.  We  would  strongly  recommend  all  who  are 
interested  in  Zenana  mission  work  to  obtain  a  copy  of  the  Church 
of  England  Zenana  Missionary  Society's  numbers  for  duly  ami 
August  last,  from  which  we  have  extracted  lids  information  about 
Zenana  work  given  above. 
The  London  The  next  report  for  consideration  is  that  of  the  London 
Society.        Missionary  Society  for  the  year  ending  30th  April,   1886: 


Indian  Missions.  79 

"  The   year    began    under    conditions    which    awakened    great  Major- 

J  °  °  General  Sir 

anxiety  —  a  debt  of  upwards  of  £11,000  from  the  previous  year  R-  Phayre. 
had  to  he  faced,  and  it  was  plain  that  if  the  income  realised  did 
not  exceed  the  average  of  the  last   few  years  it  would   prove 
altogether  inadequate  for  the  responsibilities  of  the  Society. 

"  Special  earnest  and  importunate  prayer  was  offered  by  many 
friends,  that  the  hearts  of  all  might  be  influenced  to  give  more 
liberally  for  the  removal  of  the  debt,  and  for  the  support  of  God's 
cause.  In  answer  to  this  prayer  a  special  effort  was  made  by 
Bristol  friends,  who  raised  £4000  for  that  object ;  and  such  was 
the  stimulus  given  by  this  noble  example  that  a  special  fund  of 
upwards  of  £10,700  in  all  has  been  raised. 

"  Great  as  this  relief  was,  the  Directors  felt  it  to  be  even  more  increased 

income. 

important  that  the  ordinary  income  of  the  Society  should  be  in- 
creased, which  it  was  by  £4100  in  ordinary  contributions,  and  by 
upwards  of  £6000  in  legacies.  Bless  the  Lord  for  the  great  things 
He  has  done  for  us,  whereof  we  are  glad.  May  the  same  spirit 
actuate  the  supporters  of  all  our  Protestant  missions,  and  every 
agency  that  has  for  its  object  the  preaching  and  teaching  of  the 
gospel  of  the  grace  of  God  to  old  and  young  at  home  and  abroad. 

"  With  this  increase  of  income  the  expenditure  has  also  advanced, 
mainly  owing  to  special  causes.  The  Directors  have  in  consequence 
been  obliged  to  refuse  many  requests  for  additional  help. 

"The  reports  furnish  abundant  evidence  of  the  reality  and 
extent  of  the  work  being  done ;  and  the  devout  reader  will 
observe  that  one  common  feature  pervades  them  all — expressions 
of  a  sense-  of  need,  not  so  much  of  money  or  of  men,  as  of 
spiritual  power ;  the  need  of  a  fuller  and  more  effectual  out- 
pouring of  the  Holy  Spirit  to  develop  the  life  of  the  converts, 
and  to  convince  and  convert  the  multitudes  who  have  now  become 
acquainted  with  the  truths  of  Christianity. 

"  The  nature  of   the  weaknesses  exhibited  by  converts   from  The  con- 

•  •  ■  i        i  n      -       t  vert's  fail- 

heathenism  varies  very  considerably  m  different  parts  of  the  world,  ings. 
In  the  South  Sea  Islands  large  and  generous  gifts  for  the  cause  of 
God  are  often  associated  with  a  very  low  standard  of  Christian 
character. 

"In  India  and  China  knowledge  of  the  truth  increases,  but 
converts  display  a  strange  lack  of  enthusiasm  for  the  spread  of 
the  gospel. 

"In  South  Africa  the  converts  show  a  sluggishness  in  all 
spiritual   matters. 


80  Heathen  Lands:   India  and.  China. 

General  sir        "  ^ence  a  deeper  and  fuller  infusion  of  the  Spirit  of  Christ  is 

r.  Phayre.  required,  and  should  be   earnestly  and   unitedly   prayed  for,    it 

being   certain  that  the  secret  of  success  and  power  in  mission 

The  secret  .  l 

of  success,    work  is  to  be  found  alone  in  the  inspiration  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 

"The  chief  sphere  of  this  Society  lies  in  the  Madras  Presidency 
and  the  little  native  state  of  Travancore. 

"  The  method  of  work  differs  materially  in  North  and  South 
India.  In  North  India  education  holds  the  foremost  place. 
Zenana  work  and  girls'  schools  are  also  claiming  a  very  large 
amount  of  attention,  and  there  are  more  female  missionaries 
employed  than  in  South  India. 

"  In  South  India  education  is  not  neglected,  and  female  missions 
are  being  cared  for ;  but  the  chief  strength  of  the  missionaries  is 
spent  on  evangelization. 
Women  "We   have   often  found   women   specially  susceptible   to   the 

susceptible     . 

to  the  influence  of  the  gospel.     In  large  towns  we  can  seldom  reach  the 

Gospel.  .  . 

female  portion  of  the  population ;  but  in  villages  it  is  otherwise, 
and  they  testify  in  various  ways  their  yearning  desire  to  receive 
the  love  of  their  unknown  Father  and  Saviour. 

"There  is  nothing  in  the  experience  of  the  past,  or  in  the 
attitude  of  the  Hindoos  of  the  present  day  toward  Christ,  to 
destroy  or  damp  the  most  enthusiastic  missionary's  hope. 

"  At  Bellary  some  leading  Hindoo  gentlemen  opened  a  school 
for  girls  in  September  last,  because  it  was  found,  at  the  last  census 
of  1881,  that  out  of  736,807  women  and  girls  only  200G  had 
received  any  education  at  all,  or  were  under  instruction. 

"Our  preaching  has  had  the  effect  of  making  some  of  our 
hearers  strong  ojjponents  of  idolatry,  some  moralists,  some  deists, 
and  some  almost  Christians.  Each  year's  experience  deepens  the 
conviction  that  it  is  not  by  human  might  or  power  that  the 
heathen  are  to  be  won  for  Christ,  but  'by  My  Spirit,  saith  the 
Lord  of  hosts.'  May  that  time  soon  come  when  I  lie  earth  shall 
be  filled  with  the  knowledge  of  the  Lord,  as  the  waters  cover  the 
sea.  God  has  said  it,  and  He  will  do  it. 
The  reaping      "  Ours  is  the  sowing  time,  but  the  reaping  time  is  sure  to  come. 

time  will 

come.  I  request  all  who  love  the  Lord  to  do  their  best  to  help  us  in  our 

itinerating  work,  and  to  pray  that  the  Lord  may  bless  His  work 
for  the  glory  of  His  name, 

"Mrs.  Sundrani,  a,  Zenana  worker,  says,  'I  have  no  doubt  that 
in  course  of  time  female  education  will  spread  among  the  Hindoo 
community,  and  that  Hindoo  women  will  be  the  means  of  bringing 


Indian  Missions.  81 

their  husbands  into  the  fold  of  Christ.'     This  impression  is  now  Major- 

.  .  1  General  Sir 

becoming  general,  and  it  behoves  all  societies  to  take  advantage  of  R  Phayre. 
the  turn  of  the  tide  that  is  taking  place. 

"Everywhere  we  have  found  a  ready  sale  for  our  tracts  and 
Scripture  portions,  and  in  some  places  we  could  have  sold  twice 
the  number  we  took  with  us. 

"In  Travancore,  the  report  says,  'Eight  Bible  Women  are  at  Bible women 

•  •  p  \       t      •  -i    i  at  work- 

work  m  various  parts  of  the  district,  and  there  are  many  towns 

where  they  might  do  most  valuable  work  if  a  larger  number  could 

be  employed.' 

"  The  Medical  Mission  has  been  worked  throughout  the  year  by 
eight  medical  evangelists  in  charge  of  district  dispensaries  :  they 
have  striven  well,  and  done  their  duties  faithfully.  The  dressers 
are  impressed  with  the  fact  that  Jesus  Christ,  when  He  sent  out 
His  disciples  on  their  first  missionary  tour,  commissioned  them  to 
preach  the  gospel  and  heal  the  sick ;  and  therefore,  as  medical 
evangelists,  if  the  evangel  is  not  faithfully  proclaimed,  their  work 
from  a  Christian  point  of  view  is  a  failure." 

The  Rev.  S.  Mateu  writes  from  Trevandrum  :  "  While  there  are 
many  evidences  of  the  widespread  and  true  progress  of  the  work 
of  grace,  there  are  also  indications  of  weakness  among  the  pro- 
fessing Christians. 

"  Caste  is  now  the  greatest  hindrance  to  the  extension  of  the 
gospel  in  Travancore.  Lately  some  Palyars  were  refused  admission 
into  the  chapel  of  the  Shanar  Christians  (so  called).  This  will 
have  to  be  looked  into,  as  the  exact  reverse  of  Christian  love  and 
unity." 

I  now  propose  to  make  a  few  extracts  from  a  valuable  work  on  Medical 
Medical   Missions   by   Mr.    Lowe,    Secretary   of   the   Edinburgh  their  Place 
Medical  Missionary   Society,  with  introduction   by  Sir   William  By  j.  Lowe, 

Mllir,  K.C.S.I.,  LL.D.,  D.C.L.  :  18S6.'  ' 

"  The  missionary's  theme — the  glorious  gospel  of  the  blessed 
God — is  the  one  only  antidote  to  all  the  world's  sins  and  sorrows. 
Its  divine  message  remains  ever  the  same — 'God  so  loved  the  world, 
that  He  gave  His  only  begotten  Son,  that  whosoever  believeth  in 
Him  should  not  perish,  but  have  everlasting  life.'  To  make  known 
this  gospel  is  the  one  aim  and  object  of  the  missionary  enterprise. 

"The  late  lamented  pioneer  of  African  evangelization,  Dr. 
Livingstone,  says  truly  that  '  preaching  the  gospel  to  the  heathen 
includes  much  more  than  is  implied  in  the  usual  picture  of  a 
missionary — a   man   going   about   with  a  Bible  under  his   arm, 

G 


82  Heathen  Lands :   India  and  China. 

Major-         indicating  thereby  the  grand  intention  of  its  divine  Founder  that 

General  Sir  °  J  ° 

r.Phayre.  the  gospel  should  he  proclaimed  to  mankind  not  as  a  men-  dogma, 
hut  as  a  life,  by  loving  deeds  as  well  as  by  living  voice.' 

The  Love-  "The  Lovedale  Mission  of  South  Africa,  in  connection  with  the 
Free  Church  of  Scotland,  Avith  its  College  and  Industrial  Depart- 
ment, Medical  Mission  and  nourishing  native  churches,  is  recom- 
mended by  Mr.  Lowe  as  a  model  which  the  friends  of  missions 
would  do  well  to  study.  He  believes  that  the  directors  and 
supporters  of  our  missionary  societies  at  home,  rather  than  the 
agents  abroad,  need  to  be  taught  that  the  great  work  of 
evangelizing  the  heathen  ought  not  to  be  restricted  to  any  one 
method,  but  that  every  mode  of  operation  that  manifests  the 
spirit  of  the  gospel  lies  within  the  scope  of  the  divine  commission. 
"The  Lovedale  method  recognizes  man  as  having  a  body  as 
well  as  a  soul ;  while  it  gives  due  place  and  fullest  prominence 
to  the  life  to  come,  it  also  recognizes  the  life  that  now  is,  and 
proceeds  on  the  belief  that  the  future  life  can  be  best  prepared 
for  by  the  right  performance  of  the  duties  of  the  life  Ave  have 
noAV,  according  to  His  Avord. 

Preaching         " Preach  the  gospel,  Ave  say;  for  the  gospel  is  the  poAver  of 

the  Gospel  .  . 

by  word  and  God  unto  salvation  to  every  one  that  believeth ;  but  much  more  is 

deed. 

implied  in  preaching  the  gospel  than  the  mere  proclamation  of  the 
divine  message.  The  heathen  can  be  best  taught,  as  our  children 
are,  by  object-lessons.  The  gospel  therefore  must  be  preached  to 
them  alike  by  the  living  voice  and  loving  deeds. 

"Christ's  testimony  of  Himself  Avas,  'The  Spirit  of  the  Lord 
God  is  upon  Me,  because  He  hath  anointed  Me  to  preach  the 
gospel  to  the  poor;  He  hath  sent  Me  to  heal  the  broken-hearted, 
to  preach  deliverance  to  the  captives,  and  reco\rering  of  sight  to 
the  blind,  to  set  at  liberty  them  that  are  bruised,  to  preach 
the  acceptable  year  of  the  Lord.'  (Luke  iv.  18,  19.)  Practically 
the  Lord  Jesus  commissioned  His  apostles,  and  the  first  teachers 
of  Christianity,  to  do  Avhat  He  Himself  did.  He  gave  His 
disciples  power  against  unclean  spirits,  to  cast  them  out,  ami  t<> 
heal  all  manner  of  sickness  and  all  manner  of  disease.  (Matt.  x.  1.) 
The  manner  in  which  they  fulfilled  their  commission  is  fully  re- 
corded in  Acts  v.  and  viii.,  and  elseA\dierc  throughout  the  gospels, 
showing  that  Christ  and  His  apostles  preached  the  gospel  by  word 
and  deed,  and  that  the  more  Ave  incorporate  the  healing  of  the 
sick  Avith  our  evangelistic  efforts,  the  more  closely  do  we  follow 
the  divine  example  and  obey  the  Master's  command. 


Indian  Missions.  83 

"  Strange  to  sav,  however,  Medical  Missions  are  vet  in  their  Major- 

°  ■"  .  '  .  J  General  Sir 

infancy.     The  function  of  the  medical  missionary  is  that  of  the  R.  phayre. 
evangelist :  bnt  we  must  not  under-estimate  the  importance  of  his 

.  The  function 

strictly  professional  qualifications.     In  this,  as  in  all  other  depart-  of  the 

ments  of   the  missionary  service,  the  consecration  of    the  very  Missionary. 

highest  attainments  is  necessary.     The  circumstances  in  which  the 

missionary  physician  may  he  placed  require  a  far  greater  amount  of 

professional  skill  and  self-reliance  than  is  the  case  in  this  country. 

Until  he  shall  have  taught  natives   to  assist,   he  must   act   as 

dispenser,  dresser,  and  nurse.     He  must  he  his  own  consulting 

physician  and  surgeon,  and  himself  be  president,  committee,  and 

officer  of  the  Local  Board  of  Health ;  architect,  master  builder, 

purveyor,  and  general  superintendent,  of   his  own  hospital  and 

dispensary. 

"  He  will  have  to  treat  cases  that  will  tax  his  skill  and  self-  The  highest 

skill  re- 
reliance  to  the  utmost,   and   it   is   such   cases   that  make  their  quired. 

influence  felt  either  for  or  against  the  great  object  in  view.  Hence 

the  absolute  necessity  for  having  a  thoroughly  skilled  physician  as 

medical  missionary.     No  ordinary  qualifications  will  do ;  the  best 

talents  and  highest  accomplishments  must  be  consecrated  to  the 

work. 

"  We  cannot  deprecate  too  strongly  the  plan  which  some  societies 
adopt  of  giving  their  students  a  very  partial  training  in  medicine 
and  surgery,  and  then  sending  them  out  as  medical  missionaries. 
In  no  department  of  service  is  it  more  true  than  in  the  practice  of 
medicine,  that  a  little  knowledge  is  a  dangerous  thing. 

"  Is  it   really   desirable   that   the   medical   missionary   should  Should  the 

.  .  Medical 

receive  ordination  to  the  office  of  the  ministry  1  We  most  emphati-  Missionary 

be  ordained? 

cally  say  that,  as  a  rule,  it  is  not.  Cases  have  happened  in  which 
most  accomplished  medical  missionaries  have  been  sent  out  as 
ordained  clerical  agents,  and  have  had  pastoral  and  educational 
work  assigned  to  them,  which  has  lessened  their  usefulness  and 
influence  as  medical  missionaries. 

"  What  we  ask  the  Church  to  do  therefore  is  just  what  the  great 
Head  of  the  Church  Himself  did — to  recognize  the  medical 
missionary  as  an  evangelist,  one  of  God's  appointed  gifts,  and  to 
send  him  forth  to  his  work  as  much  the  accredited  ambassador  of 
the  Church  as  his  ministerial  colleague." 

Chapter  iii.  of  Mr.  Lowe's  book  describes  the  value  of  medical  Zenana 

1  _  Medical 

missions  as  a  pioneer  agency.     Chapter  iv.  speaks  of  their  success  Missions. 
in  India.   Chapter  v.  of  success  in  China.   Chapter  vi.  is  on  claims 

g  2 


84  Heathen  Lands :    India  and  China. 

Major-         in  heathen  lands.     Chvin"  to  want  of  time  for  further  extracts,  I 

General  Sir  ° 

B.  Phayrf.  will  conclude  with  a  short  description  of  Zenana  Medical  Missions, 
in  regard  to  the  qualifications,  training,  and  position  of  the  female 
medical  missionary. 

"  Oh,  if  we  could  only  get  within  those  prisons  of  Zenanas," 
wrote  the  late  Dr.  Elmslie,  of  Kashmir ;  "  if  we  could  only 
emancipate  their  benighted  tenants,  and  lead  them  forth  into  the 
glorious  liberty  of  the  gospel,  then  might  we  look  with  confidence 
for  the  speedy  dawning  of  a  bright  day  on  India's  countless  sons." 
And  Dr.  Duff  also  wrote  :  "  Every  educated  person  knows  the 
peculiar  position  of  Hindoo  females  of  the  upper  classes,  and  how 
a  male  missionary  could  find  no  access  to  them.  But  if  a  female 
missionary  knew  something  of  medical  science  and  practice,  readily 
would  she  find  access ;  and,  while  applying  her  medical  skill  to 
the  healing  of  the  body,  would  have  precious  opportunities  of 
applying  spiritual  healing  to  the  worst  diseases  of  the  soul." 

a  crying  "  All  Hindoo  women,"  writes  Mrs.  Weitbrecht,  the  well-known 

Zenana  missionary,  "are  utterly  neglected  in  the  time  of  sickness. 
Two  thousand  children  not  long  ago  were  left  to  perish  from  small- 
pox in  one  city.  A  female  medical  mission  in  every  populous 
centre  is  one  of  the  most  crying  needs  of  India." 

"  The  real  doctors  of  India,"  writes  Dr.  Elmslie,  "  are  the  native 
Hakeems,  who  are  totally  ignorant  of  Western  medicine  and 
surgery.  Of  the  diseases  peculiar  to  women  and  children  they 
know  nothing.  The  native  female  nurses  too  are  very  ignorant 
and  meddlesome.  Countless  mothers  and  children  fall  victims  to 
their  gross  ignorance. 

"  Wider  effectual  doors  have  now  been  opened  for  the  remedy 
of  this  state  of  things  to  many  societies,  and  ere  long  the  work 
will  develop  and  occupy  a  much  more  prominent  place  than  it  has 
hitherto  done. 

Qualifica-  "  The  sphere  and  function  of  the  medical  missionary  has  been 

tions  neces-  m 

saryforthe  already  defined,  and  that  definition  is  equally  as  applicable  to  a 
officeoflady  ......  l  ii 

physician,      lady   physician    as   it   is   to  a   medical  missionary.       The   first   and 

most  indispensable  qualification  for  the  work,  is  personal  piety  and 
unreserved  consecration  to  the  service  of  her  Lord  and  Master. 
Where  this  is  wanting  the  great  adversary  will  not  be  long  in 
talcing  advantage  of  it,  and  injury  to  the  cause  will  be  the  in- 
evitable result. 

"Along  with  this  indispensable  qualification  there  must  be  good 
mental  abilities,   a  tender   yet  firm  hand,   and    a    kind,   loving, 


Indian  Missions.  85 

sympathizing   heart;    a  bright,   cheerful   disposition,"  and  other  Major- 
qualities  enumerated  in  the  work  itself.  R-  Phayee. 

Amongst  the  friends  of  female  medical  mission  work,  some 
think  that  eighteen  months  or  two  years'  study  and  practical 
experience  is  quite  sufficient  to  qualify  ;  while  others  hold  that  no 
one  should  undertake  so  responsible  a  position  until  the  student 
has  pursued  a  regular  course  of  medical  study,  and  obtained  a 
diploma, 

In  a  certain  sense  both  are  ricrht.     There  is  room  for  the  skilled  The  skilled 

°  Christian 

Christian  nurse,  and  a  loud  call  for  her  services,  and  as  loud  a  call  nurse, 
for  the  accomplished  lady  physician,  and  they  ought  to  work  hand 
in  hand.      It  is  most  unadvisable  to  send  out  partially-trained 
medical  ladies  to  work  on  their  own  responsibility. 

One  instance  must  suffice  to  confirm  what  we  have  said  on  this 
point.  A  lady  whom  we  know  well,  the  wife  of  a  missionary  in 
India,  had,  during  her  two  years'  furlough  at  home,  studied 
medicine,  and  had  enjoyed  the  tuition  and  personal  friendship  of 
Sir  James  Simpson  for  six  months.  On  returning  to  India,  she 
made  known  throughout  the  district  that  she  would  receive  women 
patients  at  home  or  go  to  their  own  houses.  Not  many  days 
elapsed  before  a  case  presented  itself  which  she  had  often  seen 
successfully  dealt  with  in  the  Maternity  Hospital,  but  which  she 
felt  herself  powerless  to  manage.  Quite  unnerved  by  witnessing 
the  suffering  of  the  poor  woman,  she  left  the  house ;  but  the 
native  nurse  at  once  prompted  the  priest  to  make  known  to  all 
that  the  gods  were  angry  at  the  mission  lady  having  been  called 
in,  and  would  not  now  be  appeased.  Within  an  hour  or  two  the 
poor  woman  died,  and  the  lady  herself  suffered  so  much  from 
nervous  prostration  that  her  life  was  despaired  of. 

I  regret  that  I  cannot  extract  more  from  this  highly  valuable 
work  of  Mr.  Lowe's,  which  will,  I  feel  sure,  be  purchased  by 
every  one  engaged  in  medical  mission  work,  for  the  sake  of  the 
extensive  and  varied  information  which  it  contains. 

I   will   conclude   with  a  brief   notice  of   the   Indian   Female  Indian 

Female 

Normal  School  and  Instruction  Society,  or  the  Zenana  Bible  and  Normal 

J '  School  and 

Medical  Mission,  which  was  founded  in  1852,  and  whose  principles  instruction 
were  drawn  up  by  the  Kev.  Henry  Venn,  lion,  secretary  of  the 
Church  Missionary  Society,  on  a  Catholic,  not  a  denominational, 
oasis,  as  will  be  found  at  length  in  the  Annual  Eeport  for  1885, 
which  may  lie  obtained  from  the  office,  No.  2,  Adelphi  Terrace, 
London.  W.C.     Postage,  one  penny. 


86 


Heathen  Lands:   India  and  China. 


Major- 
General  Sir 
R.  Phayke. 


Undenomi- 
national 
work  in 
India. 


A  Zenana 
branch  for 

every 

Missionary 

Society. 


Also  a  very  full  and  interesting  account  of  the  All-day  Con- 
vention, held  on  the  8th  June  last,  first  at  the  Cannon  Street 
Hotel,  where,  at  the  invitation  of  Lady  Kinnaird,  between  two 
and  three  hundred  missionaries  and  other  friends  of  the  cause 
assembled  for  breakfast ;  and  afterwards  throughout  the  day  at 
meetings  held  in  Exeter  Hall.  The  account  of  the  entire  proceed- 
ings, with  the  addresses  given  by  Sir  William  Muir  and  others  at 
the  several  meetings,  may  be  obtained  from  the  society's  office. 
Price  twopence. 

Sir  William  Muir,  k.c.s.i.,  ll.d.,  d.c.l.,  said,  in  his  opening 
address,  that  they  were  met  to  welcome  many  agents  of  the 
society  of  all  denominations ;  namely,  Mrs.  Sorabji,  from  Poona ; 
Miss  Patteson,  from  Benares,  who  was  to  speak  regarding  the 
mission  at  Patna,  one  of  the  most  interesting  that  the  speaker  had 
ever  heard  of,  where  two  Christian  women  moved  the  whole  city 
of  200,000  people  by  settling  there  for  the  purpose  of  Christian 
teaching  in  Zenanas.  Next  Miss  Keog,  from  Lahore,  was  present 
to  give  an  account  of  the  work  there ;  and  Miss  Baumann,  from 
Lucknow.     Also  Mrs.  de  St.  Dalmas,  and  several  others. 

With  reference  also  to  the  glorious  unity  of  the  Christian 
Church  in  all  spiritual  matters,  the  speaker  remarked,  that  they  had 
present  deputations  from  the  Bible  Society,  the  Tract  Society,  the 
Church  Missionary  Society,  the  London  Missionary  Society,  also 
Wesleyan  missionaries,  Baptist  missionaries,  Presbyterian  mission- 
aries, representatives  from  the  American  missions,  the  Society  for 
Female  Education  in  the  East,  and  others — all  gathered  together, 
a  great  army  of  Christian  workers,  with  but  one  object  in  view, 
for  which  we  heartily  thank  God — the  evangelization  of  [ndia. 

Sir  W.  Muir  remarked  that  there  ought  to  be  a  Zenana  branch 
attached  to  every  missionary  society,  because  male  missionaries 
cannot  reach  the  women  of  India.  It  is  a  Christlike  and  <  rodlike 
work  to  bring  light  and  joy  and  peace  to  their  dark  homes.  And 
we  ought  to  deny  ourselves,  in  order  to  increase  the  agencies  for 
carrying  the  gospel  to  these  dark  places  of  the  East. 

After  this  introduction,  thirty-one  addresses  were  given  at  the 
several  meetings  held  throughout  the  day,  for  the  full  and  interest- 
ing details  of  which  we  must  refer  yon  to  the  pamphlet  already 
alluded  to. 

Contributions  are  earnestly  solicited  to  (dear  oil'  excess  expendi- 
ture by  the  Society  during  last  year.  The  office  address  is  No.  J, 
Adclphi  Terrace,  London.    W.C. 


Personal  Observations  in  India.  87 


PERSONAL   OBSERVATIONS    IN    INDIA. 
By  Mr.  A.  H.  L.  Fraseb,  G.C.M.G. 
Dear  Christian  Friends, — A  few  words  about  the  field  of  work  Mt.a.h.l. 

'  Fraser. 

in  India.     I  should  like  to  begin  by  saying  that  I  am  a  very 

strong  believer  in  the  words  of  the  Lord  Jesus  when  He  said, 

"The  field  is  the  world."     I  remember  having  occasion  to  com-  ^1[|0ld tllc 

mend  the  cause  of  Missions  in  India  at  a  meeting  in  Scotland, 

when  I  was  followed,  as  I  hope  to  be  to-day,  by  a  missionary 

from  China.     A  friend  sitting  by  me  said,  "  I  think  Mr.  Swanson 

had  rather  a  good  hit  at  you." 

He  had  drawn  attention  to  China  as  a  great  field,  and  for  the 
same  reason  that  I  felt  India  to  be  important,  he  felt  China  to 
be  important.  Well,  I  was  not  aware  while  speaking  that  I  was 
making  India  the  most  important  part  of  the  field,  nor  that  Mr. 
Swanson,  my  good  friend,  had  been  having  a  good  hit  at  me. 
But  I  know  that  every  worker  must  feel  the  great  importance 
of  one's  own  particular  part  of  the  field,  where  his  work  is 
done.  If  anyone  should  tell  me  that  any  mission-field  is  more 
important  than  India,  I  am  afraid  I  should  have  to  say  I  did 
not  agree  with  him.  I  believe  very  strongly  in  the  importance 
of  the  Indian  field,  and  in  the  responsibility  of  this  country 
regarding  it.  Our  Lord  tells  us  of  the  man  who,  going  down 
from  Jerusalem  to  Jericho,  fell  among  thieves,  was  left  naked, 
wounded,  and  half  dead.  There  he  lay,  and  there  passed  by  on  Ourrespon- 
the  other  side  one  and  another ;  but  at  last  one  took  him  up 
and  attended  to  him,  and  this  one  our  Lord  calls  "his  neigh- 
bour." Now  I  fancy  one  lesson  the  Lord  teaches  us  in  this  parable 
is,  that  when  we  come  in  contact,  in  the  providence  of  God,  with 
people  whom  we  can  assist,  these  persons  are  to  be  considered 
as  our  neighbours,  and  on  us  rests  a  certain  responsibility  with 
regard  to  them.  Now  we  are  specially  in  the  providence  of  God 
brought  in  contact  with  the  great  Indian  peninsula ;  it  has  been 
made  part  of  the  British  Empire.  The  vast  millions  of  India 
who  bow  down  to  wood  and  stone,  and  worship  false  gods,  these 
are  fellow-subjects  of  our  Queen.  A  tie  like  that  brings  special 
responsibility.  But  I  desire  again  to  assert  emphatically  that  I 
believe  "the  field  is  the  world;"    and  I  should  be  glad  if  one 


88  Heathen  Lands :   India  and  China. 

Mr.  a.  h.  L.  result  of  this  Conference  was,  that  a  greater  interest  was  manifested 

Fraser.  '  o 

in  the  work  in  India,  that  more  support,  more  funds,  should  be 
given  for  mission  work  in  India,  and  also  more  prayer  to  God  in 
respect  to  work  in  that  land.  I  should  be  sorry  indeed  to  think 
that  one  single  sixpence  formerly  spent  on  work  at  home  or  in 
any  other  mission-field  was  diverted  to  India.  What  I  should 
like  to  see  is,  that  the  man  who  now  gives  sixpence  to  China, 
would  make  it  a  shilling  and  send  the  half  to  India.  I  should 
like  to  see  increased  liberality  all  round. 

A  witness.  Now  I  do  not  appear  before  you  as  a  missionary  myself,  or  as 
connected  with  missions,  and  that  may  in  some  respects  be  an 
advantage  to  me  here,  as  I  am  aide  to  speak  of  mission  work 
more  freely  and  more  fully  perhaps  than  might  be  the  case  if  I 
were  myself  directly  engaged  in  it.  In  speaking  of  India  I 
speak  of  a  country  with  which  I  am  familiar,  as  my  work 
has  to  be  done  there.  I  have  been  fifteen  years  in  India,  and 
have  made  myself  acquainted  with  the  work  in  that  land.  I 
have  my  head-quarters  at  Nagpore,  where  there  is  a  branch  of 
the  Church  of  Scotland  Mission  at  work.  So  of  the  work  I 
have  seen,  or  which  the  Lord  is  doing  by  His  servants  among  the 
heathen,  I  can  say,  as  we  are  told,  "The  works  of  the  Lord  are 
wonderful,  sought  out  are  they  of  all  them  that  take  pleasure 
therein."  It  is  a  great  pleasure  to  me  to  be  able  to  come  home 
and  tell  you — especially  those  who  have  not  been  there — that 
there  is  great  evidence,  apart  from  our  faith  in  the  Lord's  word, 
that  there  is  evidence  in  the  experience  of  His  people  in  India 
that  nothing  fails  of  what  the  Lord  has  promised ;  and  that  when 
He  told  His  servants  to  go  forth  and  preach  the  gospel  to  every 
creature,  and  added,  "  Lo,  I  am  with  you  always,"  He  said  what 
experience  has  proved  to  be  true. 

Now  about  Zenanas  I  would  speak  a  word  or  two.  I  found  it 
difficult  to  understand  the  position  of  ladies  in  the  Zenana,  and  I 
should  like  to  give  you  one  story,  which  being  a  fact  in  my  own 
experience,  enlightened  me  as  to  the  position  of  ladies  in  a  way 
not  otherwise  possible. 

The  Indian  J  was  doing  judicial  work  in  India,  when  I  was  called  upon  by 
a  higher  court  to  examine  several  witnesses.  One  was  a  lady 
win  11 11  I  was  to  examine  in  court.  Well,  I  issued  the  sum- 
mons calling  on  her  to  appear  and  give  her  evidence,  when  a 
gentleman  came  in  a  great  state,  saying  that  I  must  he  aware  it 
would   be  a  dishonour  to  her  to  appear  in  public;    it  would  be 


Personal  Observations  in  India.  89 

an  outrage.     I  told  him  I  was  helpless,  that  the  order  must  be  Mr.  a.  h.  l. 

°  A  '  Fraser. 

obeyed,  and  that  he  must  make  the  best  arrangements  he  could 
under  the  circumstances  of  the  case.  I  sat  down  on  the  day 
appointed  to  hear  the  case,  I  called  the  name  of  this  witness,  when 
the  great  door  of  the  court  was  thrown  wide  open,  and  a  trampling 
of  feet  was  heard,  and  a  number  of  men  brought  in  a  large  box. 
This  lady  was  being  brought  in  in  a  box  covered  with  velvet,  nailed 
down  on  one  side,  and  carefully  tied  on  the  other  side.  Having 
satisfied  ourselves  she  was  really  there,  and  the  council  agreeing  to 
accept  the  fact  of  her  being  in  the  box,  I  went  on  with  the 
evidence,  taking  down  her  answers  to  my  questions ;  but  I  never 
saw  her,  and  no  one  in  court  saw  her,  and  she  saw  no  one.  When 
the  case  was  over,  she  was  carefully  conveyed  away.  The  bearers 
carried  the  box  into  her  house,  then  went  away  while  she  was 
liberated  and  taken  into  an  inner  room ;  they  then  returned  for 
the  empty  box. 

I  bave  often  since  then  had  occasion  to  examine  witnesses  from  Ze.nana 

prisoners. 

the  prisons  in  criminal  cases,  and  I  have  noticed  how  these  witnesses 
were  interested  in  everything  going  on.  They  no  doubt  went  back  to 
their  confinement,  and  thought  this  a  red-letter  day  in  their  lives. 
But  when  a  lady  is  brought  into  court  care  is  taken  in  bringing 
her,  and  in  taking  her  back  to  the  Zenana,  that  she  shall  have  no 
such  pleasant  recollections  as  these.  Think  of  an  imprisonment 
such  as  this,  and  all  the  want  of  interest  in  life  which  it  indicates ; 
think  of  these  ladies,  without  God  and  without  hope,  and  surely 
you  must  feel  a  great  deal  of  pity  for  the  poor  ladies  of  India. 
I  remember  upon  one  occasion  when  I  first  heard  an  address  upon 
the  subject  of  Zenana  Missions  from  one  who  was  intimately 
concerned  in  such  work,  and  who  gave  a  very  clear  account  of  the 
earnestness  and  delight  with  which  the  ladies  of  India  received 
the  Zenana  missionaries,  I  remember  how  this  verse  from  the 
old  Scottish  Psalm-book  came  into  my  mind — 

"  According  as  the  days  have  been 
Wherein  we  ill  have  had, 
And  years  wherein  we  grief  have  seen, 
So  do  Thou  make  us  glad."    • 

In  respect  to  the  darkness  of   India  itself,   I  should  like  to  A  petition, 
mention  another  incident  from  my  own  experience ;  for  I  do  not 
wish  to  take  up  your  time  with  any  statistics,  such  as  those  brought 
before  us  already  so  clearly  and  so  interestingly.     On  one  occasion 
I  was  out  in  the  country  engaged  on  cholera  duty.     Those  who 


90  Heathen  Lands:   India  and  China. 

Mr.  a.  h.  l.  have  been  in  India  know  how  melancholy  this  is;  you  go  from  village 
to  village,  sometimes  having  to  bury  the  dead  with  your  own  hands, 
for  the  poor  often  desert  a  village  when  the  cholera  is  very  bad. 
Well,  we  were  at  this  work  at  one  time  when  a  great  crowd  of 
people  came  to  my  tent,  and  brought  with  them  a  long  formal 
petition,  duly  written  and  stamped.  It  was  to  the  effect  that 
since  the  British  Government  had  put  down  the  atrocities  their 
god  was  angry,  and  was  visiting  them  with  epidemics ;  and  that  if 
we  would  allow  a  few  of  these  atrocities  to  be  revived,  and  some 
sacrifices  offered  according  to  the  mind  of  Kali,  then  this  evil 
would  be  stayed.  This  gives  a  pretty  clear  picture  of  the  darkness 
in  that  land,  and  it  gives  a  very  sad  picture  of  their  idea  of  the 
character  of  God.  It  is  in  the  midst  of  this  thick  darkness, 
mental  and  spiritual,  that  your  missionaries  are  working  to  try 
and  tell  out  the  gospel  message  throughout  that  great  country 
with  its  250  millions  of  human  beings. 

Women's  I  cj0  not  know  that   we  can   ever   expect  to  see  the  "ospel 

influence.  _  x  °     *■ 

of  Christ  known  throughout  India  until  we  get  at  the  Zenanas, 
until  Ave  get  the  influence  of  the  women  of  India  in  this  matter 
on  our  side.  Try  to  picture  to  yourself  what  it  is  now.  All  the 
influence  of  a  woman  in  India,  as  mother,  wife,  sister,  daughter, 
is  almost  without  exception  on  the  side  of  Satan  and  darkness. 
Think  then  what  a  work  is  handed  over  to  the  ladies  of  this 
country,  to  be  employed  by  the  Lord  Jesus  to  win  over  that 
influence  from  Satan  and  darkness  to  Himself.  And,  speaking  on 
that  subject,  I  would  say  that  ladies  come  and  offer  themselves 
for  this  work.  They  go  to  various  societies  and  say,  "  Here  am  I, 
send  me."  The  burden  of  the  women  of  India  is  on  their  heart, 
and  so  they  are  willing  to  go.  Well,  many  of  those  who 
offer  themselves  are  not  medical  ladies;  they  have  received  no 
medical  training  or  education.  And  although  it  is  emphatically 
true  that  the  work  of  a  lady  with  a  medical  training  is  of 
the  very  highest  importance  in  India,  yet  I  do  think  it  would  be  a 
a1  pity  to  discourage  any  lady  from  going  wit  hunt  such  an 
education,  because  the  years  spenl  in  acquiring  medical  knowledge 
present  a  great  barrier ;  ami  the  work  she  can  do  without  this  is 
so  great  and  important,  the  welcome  she  receives  is  so  en- 
thusiastic on  the  part  of  Indian  ladies,  that  it  would  be  a 
very  great  mistake  to  discourage  any  lady  going,  even  without 
this  special  knowledge.  Well,  ladies  come  and  say,  "I  would 
like  to  go;"  but,  alas !  the  committee  often  have  to  refuse  them. 


Personal  Observations  in  India.  91 

We  know  why.     Now  I  should  like  to  see  ladies  in  this  country,  Mr- A- H- L- 

J  J'  Fbaser. 

who  have  means  of  their  own,  going  out  to  serve  the  Lord  in 
India  at  their  own  charges.  It  is  just  as  cheap  to  live  in  India 
as  in  this  country,  and  it  is  far  easier  to  find  work  for  the  Lord 
Jesus.  Here  we  often  find  that  in  such  and  such  a  work  we  are 
encroaching  on  somebody  else's  sphere,  treading  on  somebody 
else's  toes;  but  out  there  you  will  find  plenty  of  room,  and  a 
sphere  of  usefulness  in  which  you  wiU  be  thoroughly  happy.  The 
Lord  has  a  great  work  for  you  to  do  amongst  our  poor  fellow- 
subjects  in  India. 

In  respect  to  the  work  of  God  in  that  land,  there  are  two  very  Secret 

x  '  d   believers. 

important  features  which  have  struck  me.  One  is,  the  very  large 
number  of  men  which  have  received  a  knowledge  of  the  gospel, 
and  try  to  bring  their  lives  into  accordance  with  its  teaching, 
except  in  the  matter  of  having  openly  professed  their  faith 
in  Christ  by  the  rite  of  baptism.  Formerly  it  used  to  be  a 
dangerous  thing  for  a  man  to  knoAv  a  missionary  intimately,  to 
be  seen  going  much  to  a  missionary's  house,  to  be  suspected 
of  having  any  interest  in  Christianity.  Now  it  is  quite  the 
reverse.  It  costs  a  man  nothing  to  be  known  as  a  friend  of 
the  missionary.  You  will  even  find  men  who  will  attend 
the  meetings  regularly,  who  will  go  with  great  big  Bibles  under 
their  arms,  passing  through  the  streets  in  a  way  perhaps  some 
of  us  would  not  like  to  do  at  home.  Well,  there  we  have  men 
going  with  the  Bible  under  their  arms  to  the  missionary  meetings, 
reading  the  word  of  God  daily,  and  praying  to  God  also,  and  yet 
they  are  called  heathen.  They  devote  a  certain  time  to  reading 
God's  word,  and  studying  books  by  your  own  Christian  ministers. 
If  you  go  to  any  town  or  village  where  they  reside,  in  order  to 
preach  the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ,  these  men  will  come  and  bring 
their  friends,  acopiaintances,  and  relatives  to  these  meetings  to 
hear  the  gospel ;  but  yet  they  have  not  been  baptised,  and  will 
not  be  baptised ;  they  refuse  obedience  on  this  one  point.  It  is 
wonderful  to  think  of  this  change  indicated,  to  think  you  can  go 
to  a  man  and  preach  right  up  the  whole  way  to  that  decisive  step 
where  he  breaks  with  everything  and  comes  to  Christ  in  open 
profession.  Why  the  policy  in  India  is  like  shutting  the  stable 
when  the  steed  has  gone ;  they  will  allow  a  man  to  come  up  to 
this  last  step.  Such  has  been  the  result  of  missionary  labours  in 
recent  years ;  but  these  men  will  not  take  the  decisive  step. 

Now  why  are  they  nut  baptised  1     The  reason  is  twofold.     In  reasous. 


92 


Heathen  Lands:   India  and  China. 


A  case  in 
point. 


Mr.  a.  h.  L.  the  first  place  there  is  the  terrible  sacrifice  it  usually  involves. 

Fka-ser.  l  j 

Can  you  understand  what  it  is  to  lose  all  a  man  holds  dear,  not  in 
name  or  word  only,  Vmt  in  reality;  and  to  have  everybody,  friends, 
relatives,  and  perhaps  your  own  wife  and  children,  leaving  you, 
as  far  as  this  earth  is  concerned,  alone,  with  all  the  traditions 
of  your  family  violated  in  your  person,  and  all  your  friends 
looking  upon  you  as  having  brought  great  dishonour  upon  them  % 
Another  reason  they  put  in  this  way — perhaps  it  may  be 
a  kind  of  salve  to  their  conscience,  and  perhaps  there  is  some 
truth  in  it — they  say  we  come  and  tell  them  of  a  spiritual  creed 
and  a  spiritual  religion,  and  yet  lay  all  this  stress  upon  a  mere 
outward  form  which  would  deprive  them  of  all  influence  and  power. 
How  do  we  reconcile  that  with  the  fact  that  it  is  a  truly  spiritual 
religion1?  If  they  get  baptized,  they  say,  "We  are  outcasts,  and 
have  no  influence  at  all."  I  do  believe  this  is  altogether  fallacious 
reasoning,  and  becomes  an  apology  for  disobedience  to  the  command 
of  Christ,  and  indicates  a  want  of  faith  in  the  power  of  God. 
When  a  man  really  understands  the  love  of  Christ,  any  sacrifice 
he  can  make  he  counts  as  nothing. 

I  will  mention  a  case,  and  I  may  say  that  if  I  told  you  of  all  the 
cases  I  know  I  should  be  talking  here  till  to-morrow  morning.  I 
knew  a  man  who  received  a  Bible,  and  began  to  study  it  earnestly 
and  prayerfully,  seeking  for  light.  Afterwards  he  was  transferred 
to  a  place  where  there  was  not  a  single  Christian.  For  two  years 
he  studied  the  Scriptures,  then  he  was  laid  hold  of  by  the  Brama 
Somaj,  and  for  a  time  stopped  at  that  point;  but  the  power  of 
the  Scripture  was  by  the  Holy  Spirit  still  working  within  him. 
He  knew  himself  to  be  a  sinner,  and  did  not  get  rest;  he  began 
to  yearn  for  faith  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  longed  to  be 
able  to  leave  his  case  with  the  Lord  Jesus.  At  the  end  of  the 
fourth  year  he  gave  his  heart  to  Christ,  fully  trusting  Him  for  his 
salvation ;  but  it  took  him  two  years  before  he.  was  able  to  give 
up  everything  and  be  baptised.  However,  he  came  to  that  point, 
and  took  leave  of  absence  for  two  days,  and  came  to  Nagpore  to 
a  missionary  there.  On  his  return  to  his  own  place  be  (old  fchem 
he  was  a  Christian,  and  they  all  forsook  him.  His  very  wife  left 
him,  and  his  children;  but  she.  could  not  forget  him,  and  at  last 
returned  to  him  and  became  a  Christian  too. 

In  Nagpore  and  oilier  places  there  are  native  Christians 
gathered  round  a  native  pastor,  and  often  as  I  stand  in  the 
midst  of  some  district  where  no  one    -alls  on  the  name  of  Jesus, 


A  native 
church. 


Personal  Observations  in  India.  93 

and  think  of  the  darkness  of  India,  I  betnn  to  despair  about  the  Mr.  a.  h.  l. 

&  L  Fraser. 

work  of  missions ;  but  when  I  come  to  these  Christians,  and  hear 
the  native  Christian  pastor  telling  his  own  countrymen  of  the 
love  of  Christ,  and  of  the  wonderful  things  in  the  Word,  and 
see  these  people  drinking  it  in ;  when  I  see  the  heathen,  some 
of  them  in  high  position,  in  the  district  gathering  in  such  a  place, 
my  despondency  passes  away,  and  I  believe  in  the  gospel  as  the 
power  of  God  unto  salvation. 

Well,  I  should  like  to  tell  you  of  two  things  that .  occurred 
in  the  course  of  my  experience  very  close  together.  I  was 
travelling  round  with  my  old  father,  who  has  devoted  his  life 
for  the  service  of  Christ  in  India  without  charge  to  any  man, 
and  he  had  come  to  my  tent  for  a  rest.  As  we  were  travelling 
we  came  to  a  place  where  they  were  holding  a  religious  fair.  I  £Jtivaiien 
saw  a  large  body  of  people  gathered  together  at  one  part,  and 
there  they  were  reciting  the  great  deeds  of  the  god  Krishna — 
how  the  king  he  came  to  destroy  had  employed  demons  to  defeat 
the  god.  A  Brahma  there  was  recounting  these  wonderful  works 
of  Krishna,  and  how  he  tore  the  demons  limb  from  limb.  At 
the  end  of  the  story  the  people  shouted  as  one  man,  "  Glory  to 
Krishna  and  his  great  victory  ! " 

Two  days  after  that,  on  the  Saturday,  a  native  came  to  me  and  vf^t  * 
said,  "  You  are  a  preacher." 

"  Well,"  I  replied,  "  I  sometimes  speak." 

He  asked  me  to  come  to  his  village,  about  eight  miles  off,  and 
hold  a  service  on  the  following  day. 

Well,  I  did  not  know  there  were  any  Christians  in  the  district. 
I  knew  no  missionary  had  been  there,  and  so  was  rather  taken  by 
surprise.  My  father  and  I  agreed  to  go,  and  away  we  went, 
bumping  on  the  rough  native  cart.  We  were  met  by  a  crowd 
of  people  who  welcomed  us.  We  stood  on  the  verandah  of  the 
house,  while  the  people  gathered  outside,  and  we  preached  the 
gospel  to  them,  and  we  sung  vernacular  hymns,  and  these  people 
joined  as  if  quite  accustomed  to  them.  Then  we  had  a  meeting 
for  Christians,  and  found  quite  a  little  church  in  the  wilderness. 
We  said,  "Where  do  all  these  people  come  from1?  Are  they  all 
your  family1?" 

"  No,"  he  said,  "  some  belong  to  this  village,  and  some  to  other 
villages  around,  and  that  man  comes  from  ten  miles  off." 

I  turned  to  my  father  and  said,  "  I  am  afraid  I  have  taken  it 
out  of  you  to-day,  father." 


94  Heathen  Lands:   India  and  China. 

f£JebH'L'      Ant*  *  rememlt)er  llow  nis  eyes  filled  with  tears  and  his  cheek 

was  pale  with  enthusiasm.    He  cried,  "I  have  never  had  such  a  day 

as  this.     To  think  that  where  no  missionary  has  ever  been,  such 

a  work  has  been  done  by  native  Christian  laymen.     Such  work  in 

the  desert,  it  is  the  beginning  of  the  end." 

Two  native  Christians — one  from  Bombay  and  the  other  from 

Nagpore — had  met  in  the  heart  of  the  -wilderness — in  the  midsl 

of  utter  darkness  they  began  to  work  together  for  the  Lord  Jesus 

Christ,  and  carried  the  gospel  to  their  own  countrymen,  and  the 

Lord  honoured  the  work. 

Native  When  we  find  the  converts  in  India  be^innino;  to  realize  their 

workers.  °  ° 

responsibility,   taking  the  gospel  with  them  wherever  they  go ; 

when  we  find  fulfilled  in  that  land  what  was  said  of  Judah,  that 

they  that  were  scattered  abroad  preached  the  Word,  it  is  indeed  a 

sign  of  good— a  sign  that  in  that  great  peninsula  the  knowledge  of 

Christ  shall  be  spread  everywhere.     I  believe,  from  these  facts  I 

have  seen,  and  from  the  word  of  God,  that  the  time  is  coming 

when,  instead  of  hearing  such  a  cry  as  "Glory  to  Krishna!"  we 

shall  hear  the   cry,   "Glory  to  Christ!"   ringing  throughout  the 

whole  of  India.    That  cry  will  be  caught  up  from  earth  to  heaven, 

from  time  into  eternity,  "  Salvation  to  our  God  which  sitteth  upon 

the  throne,  and  unto  the  Lamb  "—a  cry  raised  not  in  a  favoured 

country  like  our  own,  but  from  a  great  multitude  of  peoples,  and 

nations,  and  kindreds,  and  tongues,   who  shall  stand  before  the 

throne  clothed  in  white  robes,  and  with  palms  in  their  hands. 

At  the  close  of  the  address,  hymn  No.  13  was  sung — 

"Spirit  of  power  and  might,  behold 
A  world  by  sin  destroyed  ; " 

and  the  following  address  was  given  on 


CHINA  AS  A  MISSION-FIELD. 
By  Rev.  C.  G.  Moore. 
Rev.  o.  G.     Goi),  our  Father  and  our  Saviour,  hath  indeed  for  us  devised  ami 

Moore. 

executed  liberal  things,  and  we  arc  here  this  morning  to  devise 
and  execute  liberal  things  for  Him.  There  are  times  when  God 
casts  Himself  upon  the  loving  generosity,  the  loyal  enthusiasm, 
and  the  devoted  service  of  His  people,  and  I  take  it  that  at  this 
time  God  is  thus  casting  Himself  upon  us.  When  Moses  came 
down  from  the  mount,  after  his  forty  days'  intercourse  with  God,  lie 


China  as  a  Mission- Field.  95 

brought  with  him  a  full  revelation  of  the  will  of  God  concerning  Rev.  c.  G. 

.  .  &   MOOEE. 

the  building  of  the  tabernacle  in  all  its  details ;  but  to  God's 
redeemed  people  was  left  the  cheerful  giving  and  the  willing 
service  necessary  to  carry  out  His  plan,  and  execute  His  purpose. 
When  God  thus  insisted  that  whatever  was  done  should  be  clone 
willingly  and  freely,  was  He  not  in  a  very  real  sense  casting 
Himself  upon  the  liberality  and  love  of  His  people  ?     It  is  true  0m' 

1  J  r      x  position. 

that  the  work  is  God's,  but  we  must  not  abuse  that  thought  to 
any  lessening  of  our  own  responsibility.  If  it  is  God's,  He  has 
given  us  a  very  real  partnership  in  it ;  and  as  we  value  the 
privilege,  let  us  also  cherish  a  high  sense  of  the  responsibility. 
In  no  place  in  God's  universe  is  the  result  of  these  meetings  more 
anxiously  looked  for  than  in  the  courts  above.  Heaven  and  hell 
are  waiting  to  see  what  our  professions  of  love  to  Christ  really 
mean,  judged  by  the  test  of  practical  devotion. 

In  the  first  place  let  us  look  at  a  few  of  the  considerations  in  The  outlook 

x  _  and  its 

the  presence  of  which  God  is  asking  for  our  action  this  morning,  demand. 
I  will  take  three  facts  concerning  the  work  of  God  in  China. 

First,  no  sufficient  response  has  vet  been  made  to  China! s  need,,  inadequate 

•'  ^  ''  response  to 

We  are  thankful  to  God  and  to  His  people  for  what  has  already  China's  call, 
been  accomplished,  but  it  would  be  a  most  injurious  thing  were 
any  thought  to  lodge  in  our  minds  that  what  has  been  already  done 
is  any  adequate  provision  for  China's  spiritual  necessities.  It  is  very 
difficult  to  form  any  conception  of  the  vast  continent  of  Chinese 
mind.  We  have  scarcely  yet  traversed  its  main  highways,  and 
before  us  lies  the  immense  task  of  planting  in  all  this  world  of 
mind  the  seed  of  gospel  truth.  In  the  path  of  our  duty  to  China 
yards  are  behind  us,  miles  before  us. 

Second,  God  has,  in  our  work  in  China,  given  us  an  immense  a  precious 
temporary  advantage.  We  are  all  familiar  with  the  fact  that  fleeting 
during  the  last  thirty  years  China  has  been  very  gradually 
opening  up  to  Western  influences  and  civilization,  and  in  this 
process  the  providence  of  God  has  given  to  His  servants  a  splendid 
advantage.  In  the  vast  majority  of  cases  the  first  representative 
of  the  West  has  been  the  missionary ;  the  first  name  from  the 
West  that  has  claimed  the  reverence  and  homage  of  the  Chinaman 
has  been  the  name  of  Jesus ;  the  first  specimen  of  Western 
civilization  that  the  Chinaman  has  looked  upon  has  been  the 
follower  of  Him  who  "  went  about  doing  good."  But  this 
advantage  of  the  almost  solitary  presence  of  Western  influences 
loyal   to    Christ    will   soon    cease   to   exist.     Every  day  now   is 


96 


Heathen  Lands :   India  and  China. 


Rev.  C.  G. 

Moo  IE. 


The  China- 
man'stheory 
of  life. 


A  crisis  ap- 
proaching. 


"Our own ; 
or,  "The 
things  of 

Christ," 


precious  and  golden.  If  we  could  send  into  China  at  once  a 
thousand  missionaries,  they  would  prohably  accomplish  more  than 
ten  times  that  number  sent  ten  years  hence.  Whatever  may 
be  the  practice  of  the  Chinaman,  his  theory  of  life  contemplates 
a  high  and  moral  aim — moral,  I  mean,  as  distinguished  from 
material — and  it  is  by  his  theory  that  he  tests  and  judges  other 
men  and  nations ;  and  as  he  looks  upon  the  industrious  and  even 
upright  man  of  business,  intent  only  so  far  as  he  can  perceive  on 
acquiring  wealth  and  material  good,  he  is  disposed  to  regard  him 
with  contempt,  as  occupying  a  far  lower  platform  than  he  who 
cherishes  a  moral  and  spiritual  end  as  his  summum  bonum.  When 
to  this  are  added  practices  and  conduct  that  the  Chinese  conscience 
as  emphatically  condemns  as  does  our  own,  there  is  erected  a  wall 
of  prejudice  and  disdain  against  the  foreigner  that  will  not  easily 
be  thrown  down.  In  the  appointment,  therefore,  that  the 
missionary,  set  apart  exclusively  to  spiritual  aims  and  work, 
should  be  to  millions  of  Chinese  the  first  visitant  from  the  out  side 
world,  there  has  been  a  most  wise  and  tender  regard  for  the  national 
tastes  and  standards  of  judgment.  Surely  God  has  a  right  to 
expect  that  we  should  to  the  utmost  utilize  the  advantage  thus 
given. 

Third,  a  crisis  is  coming  in  our  tvorli  in  China  in  connection 
with  the  division  of  the  field,  a  practical  question  that  will  soon 
have  to  be  settled  for  good  or  for  evil.  I  will  only  say  a  word  as 
to  how  the  difficulties  of  this  question  should  be  met.  These 
difficulties  lie  largely  with  the  churches  and  societies  at  home ; 
and  what  we  judge  largely  to  be  their  source,  may  be  best 
indicated  by  a  reference  to  a  few  verses  in  St.  Paul's  Epistle 
to  the  Philippians.  When  he  was  writing  that  letter  at  Eome, 
the  apostle  must  have  been  surrounded  by  a  goodly  number 
of  faithful  Christian  men;  and  yet  we  read,  in  chapter  ii.  19-21  : 
"But  I  trust  in  the  Lord  Jesus  to  send  Timotheus  shortly  unto 
you,  that  I  also  may  be  of  good  comfort,  when  I  know  your  si 
For  I  have  no  man  likeminded,  who  will  naturally  care  for  your 
state.  For  all  seek  their  own,  not  the  things  which  are  Jesus 
Christ's."  Amongst  all  his  companions  and  associates  in  tint 
justly-lauded  apostolic  age,  there  was  only  one  man  whom  Paul 
could  count  upon  as  delivered  from  Christian  selfishness  and 
self-seeking.  "All  seek  their  own."  All  were  wrapt  up  in  their 
own  concerns,  their  own  work  for  Christ,  their  own  ideas  and 
methods  of    success,    their   own   Christian    interests,    plans,   &c. 


China  as  a,  Mission-Field.  97 

They  could  not  be  depended  upon  to  care  for  that  which  was  Rcv-  °-  G- 
simply  Christ's.  And  is  not  this  Christian  self-seeking  vitiating 
our  work  at  home,  and  hindering  blessing  abroad?  True  there 
are  bright  exceptions,  rays  of  encouragement  here  and  there ;  but 
as  individual  workers,  as  churches,  as  missionary  societies,  we 
have  laid  ourselves  open  to  the  accusation  of  seeking  our  own 
things,  not  the  things  that  are  Christ's.  If  Ave  are  to  make 
any  great  advance  here  at  home,  or  in  the  mission -field,  this 
evil  must  be  dealt  with  and  put  away.  Only  by  doing  so  shall 
we  come  on  to  the  lives  of  divine  power.  Let  us  search  out 
the  laws  of  the  spiritual  world,  and  then  in  them  and  through 
them  come  into  alliance  with  God's  omnipotence  and  resources. 

And  now  let  us  pass  on  to  consider  for  a  few  moments  what  we  ?orwv rd : 
take  to  be  by  far  the  most  important  question  to  be  considered  by  Patn- 
this  Conference — How  shall  we  best  respond  to  the  present  call,  to 
enlarge  our  effort  in  the  mission-field?      I  should  like  to  make 
a  few  suggestions.    In  the  first  place,  let  us  recognise  the  transition 
process   through   which   God   is   now   seeking   to   lead   us.     No A  descent, 
careful  reader  of   the  New  Testament  can  doubt  but  that  the 
early   Church   stood   face   to   face   with   world-wide    aims    and 
purposes.     Christ's   words   were   ringing   in   their   ears — "  every 
creature,"  and  "all  the  nations."     One  path  by  which  the  Church 
passed  from  its  high  state  into  a  more  or  less  degenerate  condition 
was   that   which   led  from    these  world-wide  aims   down  to  an 
absorption  in  merely  personal  and  local  interests.     Such  a  change, 
of  course,  both  implied  and  indicated  a  great  loss  of  spiritual  life 
and  power.     At  the  Eeformation,  it  would  seem  the  Lord  began  a  slow 

L  '  °        return  to 

on  a  large  scale   to   reverse   this   process  by  strengthening  the  the  higher 

p  let  116. 

spiritual   life  of   the  Church  of   Christ,    and  thus  preparing  it 
to   ascend   once   more   to   the   high   platform    it    had   forsaken. 
Whilst  a  few  individuals  had  previously  made  the  ascent,  and  had 
been  beckoning  their  comrades  to  follow,  it  was  only  a  hundred 
years  ago  that   this   upward   pilgrimage,    headed  by  Dr.   Carey 
and  his  devoted  contemporaries,  commenced  on  the  large  scale. 
Once  more  the  call  came  to  disown  the  limits  of    the  merely 
personal  and  local  in  Christian  life,  and  to  make  the  world  our 
parish,  the  world  our  field.     This  process  is  still  going  on.     God 
is  seeking  to  lift  us  to  world-wide  aims  and  purposes.     Every  Universal 
individual  life  needs  this  for  its  own  perfection.     Not  a  weed  healthy 
grows  in  your   garden   without  the  ministry  of   the  forces  and  life, 
arrangements  of  the  whole  solar  system.     No  part  of  the  body  of 

H 


98 


Heathen  Lands:   India  and  Cliina. 


Rev.  C.  G. 

Moore. 


prayer- 
meetings. 


A  remedy. 


Christ  will  come  to  perfection,  except  its  whole  activities  are 
brought  into  reference  and  relation  to  the  offices  and  interests  of 
the  whole.  Take  another  illustration.  My  life  depends  upon 
this  atmosphere  immediately  around  me.  But  what  would  happen 
if  this  atmosphere  were  cut  off  from  the  great  sea  of  pure 
air  stretching  upward  and  around  on  every  side  1  Suppose  even 
we  were  to  erect  a  great  wall  round  this  England  of  ours,  and 
declare  that  we  would  live  on  our  own  supply  of  air,  without  any 
breeze  from  north  or  south,  east  or  west,  death  and  disaster  would 
follow  in  each  case.  So  if  the  atmosphere  of  our  individual 
Christian  lives  and  of  our  churches  is  to  be  kept  free  from 
noisome  vapours  and  poisonous  things,  it  must  remain  free 
and  open  to  the  heavenly  breezes  that  blow  through  the  universal 
church  of  God. 

Let  us  look  at  this  great  general  truth  in  its  application  to  one 
department  of  our  church  life — the  weekly  prayer-meeting.  In 
what  a  distressing  condition  many  of  our  prayer  meetings  now 
are.  Many  are  dead,  buried ;  many  more  are  sick  unto  death ; 
whilst  many  others  have  become  a  mere  appendix  to  the  weekly 
"lecture"  or  preaching  service.  Surely  there  is  something  wrong, 
especially  when  we  remember  that  the  record  of  the  Acts  of  the 
Apostles  assures  us  that  each  of  the  two  mightiest  movements  of 
the  early  church  was  inaugurated  in  a  prayer-meeting ;  the  one  at 
Jerusalem,  the  other  at  Antioch. 

As  suggesting  a  remedy  for  the  present  evil  condition  of  things, 
will  you  allow  me  to  frankly  give  you  a  piece  of  happy  personal 
experience  in  the  form  of  an  account  of  a  prayer-meeting  it 
was  my  privilege  as  a  pastor  to  conduct1?  We  say  happy  ex- 
perience, for  that  prayer-meeting  was  one  of  the  best  attended 
and  most  valued  of  all  our  services.  One  young  man  again  and 
again  walked  more  than  fourteen  miles  to  be  present.  Souls  were 
saved,  we  have  reason  to  hope  ;  and  though  generally  continued  for 
an  hour  and  a  half,  it  was  not  always  easy  to  close  the  meeting  al 
the  expiration  of  even  that  time.  Nor  have  I  ever  attended  any 
religious  gathering  where  there  was  a  fuller  or  more  blessed  sense 
of  the  presence  and  power  of  God.  The  first  half-hour  Avas 
regarded  as  a  preparation  for  the  intense  work  to  follow.  We 
were  God's  happy  children  met  together  to  be  a  gladness  to  Him, 
and  to  find  in  Him  our  exceeding  joy.  Thus  refreshed  by  the 
light  of  His  countenance,  we  were  ready  for  the  real  work 
before  us. 


China  as  a  Mission-Field.  99 

Those  present  were  reminded  that  as  Christ's  "  all  things  were  Rev- c  G- 

r  °  Moore. 

theirs" — "things  present"  as  well  as  "things  to  come" — it  was 
therefore  their  bounden  duty  to  regard  all  Christ's  interests  in  the  "Among 

J  °  those  that 

world  as  theirs,  and  to  the  utmost  of  their  capacity  to  become  stand  by." 
acquainted  with  the  present  condition  and  operations  of  the 
kingdom  of  God.  It  was  their  present  privilege  to  exercise 
some  of  the  vast  powers  of  a  heavenly  statesmanship,  preparatory 
to  that  hour  when  he  that  had  been  faithful  over  a  few  things 
should  be  made  rider  over  many.  They  were  told  that  they  were 
the  people  "  to  make  history,"  and  that,  standing  in  the  presence 
of  God  entitled  to  ask  in  the  matchless  name  of  Jesns  "whatsoever 
they  would,"  they  had  a  power  to  bless  the  world  higher  than 
that  possessed  by  any  monarch  beneath  the  sun.  In  that  prayer- 
meeting  they  were  assembled  in  holy  conclave  as  His  trusted 
ministers  of  state — with  "  the  Prince  of  the  kings  of  the  earth  "— 
to  deliberate  with  Him,  and  one  with  another,  concerning  the 
interests  of  the  kingdom ;  and  having  learned  His  will  to  approach 
the  throne  of  grace,  and  claim  with  utmost  confidence  every 
exercise  of  executive  power  and  grace  necessary  to  carry  that  will 
into  effect. 

On  the  wall  was  a  large  map  of  the  world — our  parish.  There  Ch1!-i^and 
it  was  before  us  to  help  to  large  thinking  and  intelligent  praying,  ours. 
Freely  referring  to  it,  we  took  up  week  by  week  some  of  the 
main-line  workings  of  the  providence  and  grace  of  God.  Every- 
thing was  looked  at  from  Christ's  standpoint,  and  in  its  bearing 
upon  the  interests  of  His  kingdom.  In  some  cases  His  purpose 
was  manifest,  and  our  request  simple  and  certain ;  but  in  others 
Ave  could  only  commit  the  matter  to  His  wisdom  and  complete 
knowledge,  assured  that  He  would  direct  it  to  the  right  and 
best  issue.  Then  we  prayed,  enabled  by  the  marvellous  agency 
God  had  put  at  our  disposal  to  bring  down  blessing  upon  even 
the  far-off  places  of  the  earth.  And  as  we  parted,  it  was  with 
the  happy  conviction  that  the  whole  world  was  the  richer  and 
the  better  for  our  coming  together.  If  Christ's  words  of  promise 
are  not  a  mockery  and  a  sham,  there  need  be  no  prayer-meeting 
that  does  not  mean  blessing  for  the  whole  world.  Such  prayer- 
meetings  must  be  greatly  multiplied  if  we  are  to  have  the  utmost 
measure  of  blessing  in  our  work  in  China  and  other  mission- 
fields. 

One  word  with  regard  to  the  financial  question  in  its  relation  "Se®|c1  ^^ 
to  missionary  work.     It  is  an  utterly  false  diagnosis  that  regards  {j^f;^1.?11 

H   2 


100  Heathen  Lands:   India  and  China. 

Rev.  c.  G.    a  want  of  Christian  liberality  as  itself  the  disease  and  not  rather 

Moore. 

the  symptom  of  some  deeper  wrong.  Does  not  God  always  bring 
the  liberality  of  His  people  up  to  the  standard  of  their  spiritual 
life  1  Whilst  more  funds  may  be  needed  for  the  extension  of 
missionary  efforts,  we  require  far  more  that  increase  of  spiritual 
power  of  which  a  larger  consecration  to  Christ  issuing  in  more 
abundant  giving  would  be  the  pledge.  In  Malachi  iii.  10  God 
exhorts  His  people  to  "  bring  all  the  tithes  into  the  storehouse  " 
for  a  double  purpose — "that  there  may  be  meat  in  Mine  house;" 
but  far  more  important  than  this — that  the  condition  might  be 
provided  on  which  God  would  "open  the  windows  of  heaven, 
and  pour  out  a  blessing,  that  there  shall  not  be  room  enough  to 
receive  it." 
His  friends.  Christ  has  called  us  His  "friends."  Shall  we  not  act  worthily 
of  such  a  friendship,  and  gladden  His  heart  by  a  full  consecration 
of  our  lives,  our  talents,  our  zeal  and  love  to  this  work  1 


A   EEVIEW   OF   THE   FIELD   IN  CHINA. 

By  Kev.  D.  Mac  Ivbr. 

Rev.  d.  Dear  Christian  Friends, — You  have  now  heard  about  mission 
work  among  Jews  and  Mohammedans,  of  Christian  work  in 
France,  in  Russia,  and  in  many  of  the  Eoman  Catholic  countries 
of  Europe,  and  it  would  seem  as  if  each  succeeding  speaker  made 
his  own  particular  sphere  of  work  more  needy  and  pressing  in  its 
claim  than  any  other.  The  empires  of  Britain  and  China  comprise 
between  them  one-half  of  the  human  race ;  China,  say,  one  quarter 
— over  300  millions. 

That,  combined  with  the  character  of  the  Chinese  people,  the 
great  part  they  are  sure  to  fill  in  the  political  history  of  the 
future,  and  combined  also  with  the  debt  we  owe  to  China  in 
respect  of  our  opium  growing,  are  in  themselves  reasons  enough 
why  the  Christianization  of  China  should  occupy  the  foremost 
place  in  the  hearts  of  God's  people  in  this  country. 
Progress  It  has  occurred  to  me  that  in  an  important  Conference  like  this 

Missionary  the  best  way  of  occupying  the  time  placed  at  my  disposal  is 
briefly  to  glance  at  some  of  the  salient  points  in  the  missionary 
history  of  China  since  the  last  Missionary  Conference  was  held 
here,  gathering  from  the  failure  or  success  of  the  past  lessons  for 
our  guidance  in  the  present  and  for  the   future.     And  if  time 


A  Review  of  the  Field  in  China.  101 

permit,  I  should  like  to  draw  attention  more  particularly  to  the  ^ev-TD- 
portion  of  the  field  in  South  China  where  I  have  been  labouring 
since  1879. 

The  year  1878  forms  a  good  starting-point;  for  then  were 
published  the  records  of  the  Shanghai  Conference,  which  still 
form  the  chief  storehouse  for  the  student  of  Chinese  missions. 

Of  events  outside  the  Church,  special  reference  must  be  made  The  Frcncii 

'     L  war. 

to  the  recent  French  war.  I  have  often  been  asked  what  effects 
the  war  has  had  on  mission  work.  Speaking  from  my  own 
experience,  there  has  been  this  advantage  :  The  Chinese  officials 
and  the  Chinese  people  have  learned  to  distinguish  more  clearly 
between  Protestant  and  Koman  Catholic  missionaries.  This  is  a 
real  gain.  The  Chinese  officials  have  always  suspected  that  Roman 
Catholic  missions  have  a  political  aim ;  and  the  frequent  appeals 
to  the  interference  of  the  French  Consuls — often  in  matters  purely 
civil — have  increased  this  suspicion.  The  recent  negotiations 
between  France  and  the  Vatican  have  clearly  shown  the  political 
importance  that  France  attaches  to  the  Roman  Catholic  Missions 
in  China.  Why  should  France  be  so  anxious  to  continue  her 
protectorate  over  these  missions'?  It  would  be  of  much  benefit 
to  us  Protestants  even,  if  in  this  matter  the  Pope  were  to  have  his 
way ;  so  that  in  disputed  matters  the  Chinese  officials  could  deal 
with  his  representative  at  Pekin,  rather  than  with  the  French 
Consuls.  The  French  war  has,  then,  emphasized  the  distinction 
between  us  and  the  Roman  Catholics. 

On  the  other  hand,  however,  the  Chinese  have  from  this  war  Chinese 

power. 

learnt  their  power — that  when  brought  face  to  face  with  one  of 
the  great  nations  of  the  West  they  are  able  to  hold  their  own. 
Hence  their  attitude  to  all  foreigners  is  different.  Formerly,  for 
example,  the  British  Consul  had  much  influence  with  the  local 
mandarins  at  all  the  treaty  ports.  Now,  however,  he  is  listened 
to  with  distinct  impatience  when  he  refers,  say  to  the  toleration 
for  Christianity  accorded  by  the  laws  of  the  Empire. 

It   must   always   be  remembered  that   the    outbreaks   against  Outbreaks 

0  °  against 

foreigners  and  against  the  Christian  converts  have  their  real  source,  foreigners, 
not  among  the  common  people,  but  among  the  literati,  or  in  the 
yamens.  During  the  war  with  France  we  clearly  saw  how  the 
mandarins  could,  if  they  choose,  put  down  these  attacks  on 
foreigners.  I  remember  being,  in  the  autumn  of  1884,  on  a  visit 
to  one  of  our  inland  stations,  more  than  a  hundred  miles  away 
from  a  European  settlement.     The  armed  bands,  on  their  way  to 


102 


Heathen  Lands:   India  and  China. 


The  opium 
curse. 


?rev'iD\  l°°k  Roman  Catholic  houses,  passed  me  by  unmolested,  though  I 
was  quite  alone,  and  far  removed  from  human  protection;  and 
this  partly  because  I  had  been  on  very  friendly  terms  with  the 
people,  and  partly  because  the  mandarins  had  issued  proclamations, 
warning  the  people  not  to  interfere  with  foreigners  other  than 
Frenchmen. 
Corea  open.  Passing  now  from  the  French  Avar,  there  is  time  only  to  mention 
the  fact  that  Corea  is  now  open  to  the  gospel,  and  that  by  the 
annexation  of  Upper  Burmah  the  sphere  for  missionary  labour 
has  been  still  further  increased. 

The  opium  curse  still  remains ;  yea,  more,  its  deadly  proportions 
increase  yearly.  True  the  negotiations  of  last  year  have  improved 
our  national  position  somewhat ;  yet  these  two  facts  still  remain  : 
(1)  The  British  Indian  Government  manufacture  and  send  to 
China  as  much  as  ever  of  the  accursed  thing,  and  (2)  tens  of 
thousands  of  the  Chinese  are  involved  in  the  physical  and  moral 
ruin  which  is  brought  on  by  the  opium  habit.  Every  missionary 
will  tell  you  the  extreme  difficulty  of  spiritual  dealing  with  an 
opium-smoker.  How  one's  heart  sinks  when  he  hears  that  some 
promising  enquirer  smokes  opium  !  The  plague  goes  on,  the  p<  >]  >\  <y 
is  more  and  more  grown  in  China.  Can  this  Conference  do  any- 
thing to  help  to  waken  up  the  Christian  conscience  of  this 
country  against  this  nefarious  trade  1 

But  it  is  now  time  to  look  at  the  mission  work  proper.  And 
here  we  see  progress  in  almost  every  department.  Let  not  our 
sense  of  unworthiness  and  of  spiritual  barrenness  blind  us  to  this 
fact,  that  the  Lord  hath  been  mindful  of  us,  and  that  this  work 
has  prospered.  It  is,  of  course,  to  be  taken  for  granted  that 
true  spiritual  work  cannot  always  be  tabulated  and  reduced  to 
statistics. 

But,  properly  understood,  the  following  figures  may  be  useful : 
In  1878  there  were  in  China  301  missionaries  (not  including 
missionaries'  wives) ;  in  1884,  483  missionaries  (52  absent). 

The  society  that  has  increased  its  agency  most  is  the  C.I.M., 
which  has  now  about  150  men  and  women  working  in  China. 

In  1878  (1877)  the  number  of  communicants  was  13,515 ;  in 
1886  the  number  is  more  than  double. 

The  increase  in  connection  with  the  four  largest  missions  may 
be  seen  from  the  following  figures:  The  American  Presbyterian 
Mission  in  1878  had  1,460;  and  in  1884,  3,777.  In  1878  the 
English  Presbyterian  Mission  had  2,088;  now  33,307.     In  1878 


Tokens  of 
progress. 


Communi- 
cants. 


A  Bevievj  of  the  Field  in  China.  103 

the  London  Mission  had  2,065  :  now  3,234.     In  1878  the  Church  Rev.  d. 

'  '  '  MacIver. 

Mission  head  1,204;  now  2,605. 

We  may  now  try  and  answer  the  question,  By  what  means  or  Means  at 
instrumentality  have  these  souls  heen  brought  to  the  light  1  We, 
of  course,  know  that  the  Holy  Spirit  works  when  and  how  He 
pleases,  and  if  we  put  our  trust  in  any  method  or  agency  apart 
from  Him  we  shall  certainly  be  disappointed.  But  if  we  find  out 
what  agency  He  most  frequently  uses,  we  cannot  be  wrong  if,  in 
dependence  on  Him,  we  give  most  prominence  to  that  agency. 

Dr.  Nevius,  one  of  the  most  prominent  missionaries  in  China, 
in  answering  the  question,  "  Which  methods  of  work  have  really 
brought  the  greatest  number  of  converts  into  the  Church1?"  states 
in  the  Chinese  Recorder  the  various  methods  as  follows,  beginning 
with  what  appears  to  be  the  least  fruitful : 

"1.  Bible  distribution.  2.  Tract  distribution.  3.  Chapel 
preaching.  4.  Translation  and  literary  work.  5.  Schools.  6. 
Itinerations." 

Such  is  Dr.  Nevius'  list,  and  it  is  probably  correct  as  far  as  it  Dr.  Nevius' 

*  °  statement. 

goes.  Medical  Missions  and  Work  among  Women  should  have 
been  included.  Both  have  been  much  blessed  in  recent  years. 
Many  Christian  friends  may  be  grieved  at  the  low  place  assigned 
to  Bible  distribution ;  and  yet,  I  believe,  the  experience  of  almost 
every  Chinese  missionary  would  confirm  what  Dr.  Nevius  says. 
Millions  of  Scriptures  have  been  distributed  to  the  Chinese  during 
the  past  forty  years,  and  the  instances  of  good  accomplished  by 
them,  without  the  living  preacher,  are  comparatively  rare.  Doubt- 
less there  have  been  many  instances  of  good  done  that  will  not 
come  to  light  till  "  that  day." 

But  in  connection  with  this  question  of  comparative  fruitfulness 
of  methods,  the  most  important  statement  has  yet  to  be  made. 
Dr.  Nevius  says  of  these  methods,  "  I  am  disposed  to  think  that 
the  number  of  conversions  due  to  each  of  them  would  be  found 
to  increase  about  in  the  order  in  which  they  are  mentioned  above ; 
and  that  the  number  traceable  to  them  all  together  would  be  but 
a  small  fraction  of  the  whole,  and  that  by  far  the  greater  propor 
tion  is  to  be  referred  to  private  social  intercourse." 

That  is  certainly  our  experience  in  the  south  of  China.  Probably  Chinese 
seven-eighths  of  our  membership  have  been  brought  in,  not  directly 
as  the  result  of  the  preaching  either  of  the  European  missionary 
or  of  the  appointed  Chinese  evangelist,  but  simply  from  private 
Christians   telling   to   their   friends   and    neighbours    about   the 


104  Heathen  Lands:   India  and  China. 

mIc'iver  Saviour  they  have  found.  This  state  of  matters  is,  on  the  one 
hand,  cause  for  thankfulness,  for  the  evidence  it  gives  of  the 
reality  of  the  religion  of  these  Chinese  Christians,  and  it  also  is 
full  of  hope  as  to  the  future  of  Christ's  kingdom  in  China.  If 
every  individual  member  of  the  30,000  Christians  in  China  were 
a  true  missionary,  then  the  Middle  Kingdom  would  soon  be 
evangelized. 

But  it  seems  to  me  that  this  state  of  matters  is  full  of  important 
lessons  for  all  interested  in  the  progress  of  the  gospel  in  that  land. 
We  are  to  give  most  attention  to  the  method  God's  Spirit  uses 
most.  We  are  not  to  give  up  our  preaching  tours,  nor  our  distri- 
bution of  Scriptures  and  tracts ;  we  are  not  to  close  our  hospitals 
and  schools.  But  we,  as  foreign  missionaries,  should  give  most 
attention  to  the  work  of  training  our  converts  in  the  knowledge 
of  Scripture,  developing  their  gifts  and  graces,  and  superintending 
and  guiding  their  efforts  to  bring  to  the  truth  their  friends  and 
kindred. 

I  am  afraid  I  have  detained  you  too  long  on  the  development 
of  mission  work  in  China  during  the  past  eight  years,  and  the 
lessons  to  be  learned  from  it  for  our  future  guidance.  There  are 
several  other  items  of  progress,  which  I  can  only  mention. 

items  of  l.  Many  additions  have  been  made  to  the  Christian  literature. 

progress. 

The  Bible  (or  parts  of  it)  has  been  translated  into  several  of  the 
vernaculars,  some  in  Roman  letter  and  some  in  character. 

2.  The  various  Christian  congregations  have  been  better 
organized.  There  has  in  many  places  been  a  marked  increase  in 
Christian  giving. 

3.  Missionaries  have  learned  from  experience  the  best  ways  of 
carrying  on  mission  work. 

4.  To  mention  but  one  more.  We  have  in  connection  with 
many  of  our  missions  Christians  of  the  second  generation,  and 
these  are,  as  a  rule,  more  consistent  and  more  spiritually-minded 
than  their  parents. 

I  trust  every  one  in  this  hall  is  asking,  "  What  can  I  do  to  help 
on  the  Lord's  work  in  China'?"  Unless  our  Conference  leads 
to  practical  results  of  that  kind,  it  cannot  but  fail  in  its  object. 
Remember  then  what  has  to  be  done.  Mr.  Hudson  Taylor  wrote, 
two  years  ago,  that  in  the  Chinese  empire  over  two  hundred 
millions  were  beyond  the  reach  of  existing  evangelical  agencies, 
not  that  they  could  not  be  reached,  but  that  the  number  nf 
missionaries   is  so  small,  that   after  exerting  themselves  to  the 


A  Review  of  the  Field  in  China,  105 

utmost  there  are  over  two  hundred  millions  whom  neither  they  Rev.  d. 

u    MacIver. 

nor  their  Chinese  helpers  can  overtake.  Let  that  one  fact  sink 
deep  into  the  hearts  of  all  God's  people.  Is  it  not  with  shame 
and  confusion  of  face  that  we  ought  to  think  of  it  1  We  have 
sinned,  we  and  our  fathers.  We  have  been  sitting  at  home,  in 
our  spiritual  indolence,  enjoying  our  spiritual  luxuries,  while  the 
heathen  are  perishing.  The  command,  "Go  ye  into  all  the  world, 
and  preach  the  gospel  to  every  creature,"  has  hitherto  been 
practically  ignored  by  the  professed  church  of  Christ.  Personally, 
I  have  the  deepest  sympathy  with  what  the  invitation  to  this 
Conference  says  as  to  the  propriety  of  our  beginning  our  meetings 
with  deep  contrition  and  humiliation  as  individuals,  as  churches, 
as  a  nation,  for  our  neglect  in  the  past ;  yea,  and  for  our  spiritual 
barrenness. 

Now  I  wish  to  ask  at  this  stage  in  what  way  Christian  friends 
here  can  best  help  the  mission.  And  I  mention  this  not  as  a 
mere  matter  of  form,  but  as  the  deepest  conviction  of  my  being. 
It  is  right  to  ask  the  Lord  of  the  harvest  to  send  forth  more  labourers, 
labourers,  to  give  means  for  their  support;  but  I  am  quite  sure 
there  is  something  more  important ;  and  that  is,  that  the 
missionaries  already  on  the  field,  and  the  professed  members 
of  the  Christian  Church  in  China,  should  be  filled  with  the 
Holy  Ghost. 

We  lament  the  feeble  spiritual  life  of  our  converts ;  we  lament 
their  shallow  conception  of  sin ;  we  lament  the  little  progress  they 
make  in  the  study  of  Scripture,  in  keeping  holy  the  Sabbath-day, 
in  giving  of  their  substance  for  the  spread  of  the  gospel.  And 
how  can  all  this  be  remedied  1  This  can  be  done  only  by  God 
the  Holy  Ghost,  and  He  is  given  in  answer  to  the  prayer  of 
God's  believing  people. 

There  is  another  and  a  kindred  thought  which  is  to  me  some-  What  fruit? 
times  more  overwhelming  even  than  the  spiritual  condition  of  the 
heathen.  It  is  this :  In  many  of  the  large  cities  of  China — 
from  Canton  and  Hongkong  in  the  south  to  Tientsin  and  Peking 
in  the  north — there  are  street  chapels  where  many  missionaries 
spend  from  "  one  to  three  hours  daily  "  preaching  to  the  heathen. 
Then  in  itinerating  work  "  it  is  a  very  common  thing  for  a 
missionary  to  preach  in  from  five  to  ten  villages  in  a  day,  and 
from  200  to  500  times  on  a  tour."  (ISTevius.)  The  number  of  such 
addresses  by  missionaries  and  their  native  assistants  must,  during 
the  past  forty  years,  have  amounted  to  many  millions.     But  what 


106  Heathen  Lands:   India  and  China. 

Rev.  d.        has  the  spiritual  result  been  1     If,  as  the  result  of  each  one  of 

MacIver. 

these  addresses,  but  one  soul  had  been  brought  to  the  truth, 
the  spiritual  condition  of  China  would  to-day  be  very  different 
from  what  it  is.  Here  again,  brethren,  is  the  point  where  you 
can  help  us  most — by  earnest  prayer  that  the  missionaries  and 
native  preachers  be  clothed  with  power,  that  they  be  full  of  faith 
and  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  so  become  spiritually -fruitful : 
channels  through  which  may  flow  spiritual  blessings  to  multitudes 
of  the  Chinese.  No  one  who  has  stood  face  to  face,  as  I  have 
often  done,  with  crowds  of  Chinese,  who  had  never  previously 
heard  the  gospel,  but  has  felt  the  need  and  the  preciousness  of 
the  verse,  "Not  by  might,  nor  by  power,  but  by  my  spirit,  saith 
the  Lord  of  hosts." 
ThePres-  The  mission  with  which  I  have  the  honour  to  be  connected 

Mission.  is  that  carried  on  by  the  Presbyterian  Church  of  England. 
Though  our  church  at  home  is  a  comparatively  small  one,  she  has, 
in  point  of  native  membership,  one  of  the  largest  missions  in 
China.  We  have  now  three  centres  on  the  mainland  of  China, 
and  one  in  the  island  of  Formosa.  Our  methods  of  work  are 
substantially  the  same  at  each.  Kegular,  systematic,  evangelistic 
work  within  a  workable  area,  and  thereafter,  as  God  prospers 
us,  the  opening  of  stations,  the  superintendence  and  organization 
of  these  from  a  central  station ;  in  a  word,  the  building  up  of  a 
native  church,  self-supporting,  self-governing,  and  self-propagating 
— such  are  our  methods,  and  such  is  our  aim.  We  pray  great 
attention  to  the  training  up  of  native  Christian  agents.  We  have 
medical  missionaries  at  all  our  centres,  and  special  work  for 
women  is  carried  on  at  them  all.  We  believe,  and  experience 
is  on  our  side,  that  such  steady,  sustained  work  is  much  more 
fruitful  in  the  long  run  than  necessarily  irregular  itineration  over 
large  areas. 
Thciiak-kas  Our  mission  works  among  people  speaking  three  different 
dialects.  The  people  among  whom  I  labour  are  called  "  Hak-kas," 
and  speak  the  Hak-ka  dialect.  There  are  perhaps  over  twelve 
millions  of  them.  Mission  work  has  been  carried  on  among  them 
for  many  years,  and  with  much  success  by  the  Basel  Mission. 
I  was  the  first  English-speaking  missionary  to  preach  to  them 
in  their  own  language.  These  Hak-kas  are,  in  the  eyes  of 
Europeans,  remarkable  for  two  things:  (1)  Their  women  do 
not  crush  their  feet ;  and  (2)  the  great  Tai-ping  rebellion  of 
twenty  years  ago  commenced  among  them,  and  was  carried  on  by 


A  Review  of  the  Field  in  China.  107 

them.     They   are   great   emigrants,    and   are    found  everywhere.  Rev- D- 

J  °    .  &  '  J  MacIvbb. 

And  there  are  sometimes  to  be  met  with  men  who  received  the 
truth  abroad  coming  home  and  doing  evangelistic  work  in  their 
native  towns  and  villages. 
I  leave  you  these  two  facts : 

(1)  Two  hundred  millions  of  Chinese  are  quite  beyond  the  pale 
of  existing  gospel  agencies,  and  it  is  possible  to  go  to  them  all. 

(2)  The  number  of  converts  in  China  has  doubled  during  the 
past  eight  years. 

Brethren  and  sisters,  take  these  facts  with  you.  Take  them 
into  your  closet  with  you.  Pray  over  them.  Ask  the  Lord 
what  your  duty  and  connection  with  them  is.  Pray  for  a  blessing 
on  our  Hak-ka  work  and  our  Hak-ka  missionaries ;  and,  I  beg  of 
you,  send  evangelists  to  the  English-speaking  communities  at  the 
various  coastports. 

The  proceedings  of  the  meeting  were  concluded  by  prayer 
by  Mr.  K.  C.  Morgan  and  the  Chairman. 


MEDICAL  MISSIONS. 

Wednesday  Afternoon,  October  6th,  1886. 


This  afternoon  was  devoted  to  the  consideration  of  Medical 
Missions  at  home  and  abroad.  After  prayer  by  Mr.  James  E. 
Mathieson,  hymn  No  13  was  sung — 

"Spirit  of  power  and  might,  behold 
A  world  by  sin  destroyed." 

The  opening  address  was  given  by  the  Chairman. 


Dr.  William 
Gauld. 


A  Medical 

Mission 

veteran. 


Scriptural 
warrant  for 
Medical 

Missions. 


SCRIPTURAL  WARRANT  FOR  MEDICAL  MISSIONS. 

By  Dr.  William  Gauld. 

Dear  Christian  Friends, — I  am  sure  it  is  a  matter  of  deep 
regret  to  all  of  us  that  we  have  not  with  us  this  afternoon  our 
honoured  friend  Dr.  Burns  Thomson.  He  is  the  one  perhaps  of 
all  others  most  peculiarly  fitted  to  preside  at  this  meeting  from 
his  great  experience  of  Medical  Mission  work,  from  his  long 
and  earnest  advocacy  of  this  cause,  and  from  the  illustration  of  it 
in  his  life  and  work  for  many  years  at  a  time  when  it  was  not  so 
popular  as  it  is  now.  I  have  no  doubt  in  my  own  mind  he  has 
done  more  than  any  man  living  in  this  country  to  forward  the 
of  Medical  Missions  among  the  Christian  public.  I  am  sure 
he  has  your  prayers  and  sympathy,  and  we  hope,  in  God's  good 
providence,  he  may  soon  be  restored  to  a  measure  of  health  ami 
strength  again. 

Had  lie  been  here  it  was  his  purpose  tin's  afternoon  to  speak  a 
little  on  the  scriptural  warrant  for  Medical  Missions,  and  we  all 
know  how  clearly  he  could  have  brought  before  us  from  the  word 
of  God  the  purpose  and  mind  of  Christ  in  regard  to  this  agency 
for  carrying  on  His  work.     I  think  1  cannot  do  hetter  than  just 


Scriptural  Warrant  for  Medical  Missions.  109 

take  a  few  passages  of  Scripture  to  indicate  what  the  rnind  of  God  Dr. William 

m  GAULD. 

is  on  the  matter.  The  first  word  is  m  Matthew  iv.  17-25  :  "  From 
that  time  Jesus  began  to  preach,  and  to  say,  Eepent :  for  the  king- 
dom of  heaven  is  at  hand.  And  Jesus,  walking  by  the  sea  of 
Galilee,  saw  two  brethren,  Simon  called  Peter,  and  Andrew  his 
brother,  casting  a  net  into  the  sea :  for  they  were  fishers.  And 
He  saith  unto  them,  Follow  Me,  and  I  will  make  you  fishers  of 
men.  And  they  straightway  left  their  nets  and  followed  Him. 
And  going  on  from  thence,  He  saw  other  two  brethren,  James  the 
son  of  Zebedee,  and  John  his  brother,  in  a  ship  with  Zebedee 
their  father,  mending  their  nets ;  and  He  called  them.  And  they 
immediately  left  the  ship  and  their  father,  and  followed  Him. 
And  Jesus  went  about  all  Galilee,  teaching  in  their  synagogues, 
and  preaching  the  gospel  of  the  kingdom,  and  healing  all  manner 
of  sickness  and  all  manner  of  disease  among  the  people.  And  His 
fame  went  throughout  all  Syria :  and  they  brought  unto  Him  all 
sick  people  that  were  taken  with  divers  diseases  and  torments, 
and  those  which  were  possessed  with  devils,  and  those  which  were 
lunatick,  and  those  that  had  the  palsy;  and  He  healed  them. 
And  there  followed  Him  great  multitudes  of  people  from  Galilee, 
and  from  Decapolis,  and  from  Jerusalem,  and  from  Judaea,  and 
from  beyond  Jordan."     "Then   He   called  His  twelve  disciples  Commission 

of  the  twelve 

together,  and  gave  them  power  and  authority  over  all  devils,  and  disciples, 
to  cure  diseases.  And  He  sent  them  to  preach  the  kingdom  of 
God,  and  to  heal  the  sick.  .  .  .  And  they  departed,  and  went 
through  the  towns,  preaching  the  gospel,  and  healing  everywhere. 
.  .  .  And  the  apostles,  when  they  were  returned,  told  Him  all 
that  they  had  done.  And  He  took  them,  and  went  aside  privately 
into  a  desert  place  belonging  to  the  city  called  Bethsaida.  And 
the  people,  when  they  knew  it,  followed  Him :  and  He  received 
them,  and  spake  unto  them  of  the  kingdom  of  God,  and  healed 
them  that  had  need  of  healing."  And  in  the  following  chapter 
we  read :  "  After  these  things  the  Lord  appointed  other  seventy 
also,  and  sent  them  two  and  two  before  His  face  into  every  city 
and  place,  whither  He  Himself  would  come.  Therefore  said  He 
unto  them,  The  harvest  truly  is  great,  but  the  labourers  are  few : 
pray  ye  therefore  the  Lord  of  the  harvest,  that  He  would  send 
forth  labourers  into  His  harvest.  .  .  .  And  into  whatsoever  city 
ye  enter,  and  they  receive  you,  eat  such  things  as  are  set  before 
you  :  and  heal  the  sick  that  are  therein,  and  say  unto  them,  The 
kingdom  of  God  is  come  nigh  unto  you."     Then  passing  on  to  the 


110  Medical  Missions. 

Dr. William  Acts  of  the  Apostles  we  see  how  the  early  Church  acted  in  this 

Gauld.  x  j 

matter.  In  Acts  v.  we  read  :  "  And  by  the  hands  of  the  apostles 
were  many  signs  and  wonders  wrought  among  the  people;  (and 
they  were  all  with  one  accord  in  Solomon's  porch).  .  .  .  Insomuch 
that  they  brought  forth  the  sick  into  the  streets,  and  laid  them  on 
beds  and  couches,  that  at  the  least  the  shadow  of  Peter  passing  by 
might  overshadow  some  of  them.  There  came  also  a  multitude 
out  of  the  cities  round  about  unto  Jerusalem,  bringing  sick  folks, 
and  them  which  were  vexed  with  unclean  spirits :  and  they  were 
healed  every  one."  And  one  more  passage  in  chapter  viii.  : 
Practice  "Therefore  they  that  were  scattered  abroad  went  everywhere 
apostles.  preaching  the  Word.  Then  Philip  went  down  to  the  city  of 
Samaria,  and  preached  Christ  unto  them.  And  the  people  with 
one  accord  gave  heed  unto  those  things  which  Phdip  spake, 
hearing  and  seeing  the  miracles  which  He  did.  For  unclean 
spirits,  crying  with  loud  voice,  came  out  of  many  that  were 
possessed  with  them :  and  many  taken  with  palsies,  and  that 
were  lame,  were  healed.     And  there  was  great  joy  in  that  city." 

I  think  these  passages  clearly  indicate  to  us  the  mind  of  Christ 
in  regard  to  this  Medical  Mission  work. 
Medical  The  meetings  of  this  Conference  have  brought  before  our  mind 

handmaid  of  clearly  the  question,  "  How  is  the  world  to  be  evangelized  for 
ospe.  Q^-gt-ij"  Now  we  know  that  no  merely  human  agency  can 
convert  a  single  soul,  or  lead  one  single  human  being  out  of 
darkness  into  light.  It  is  only  the  Spirit  of  God  working  by 
His  word  which  can  produce  that  effect;  but  at  the  same  time 
there  are  many  agencies  which  God  has  put  within  our  reach,  and 
which  can  materially  help  the  progress  of  His  kingdom.  I  think 
we  may  take  it  as  a  principle  in  God's  work,  that  whatever  a 
human  agent  can  do  God  expects  him  to  do  it,  and  He  steps  in 
with  His  divine  power  where  human  agency  is  helpless.  For 
example,  in  the  raising  of  Lazarus  the  stone  had  to  be  removed, 
and  the  grave-clothes  taken  off,  and  this  had  to  be  done  by  human 
hands ;  but  there  was  one  thing  they  could  not  do — they  could 
not  raise  the  dead.  Christ  utters  the  word  that  broke  the  sleep 
of  death. 
Purpose  of  So  in  these  passages  Ave  have  a  clear  indication  that  there  is  one 
agency  God  designed  to  use  to  attract  people  to  the  gospel,  and 
which  He  means  Christians  to  employ  in  connection  with  His 
work  of  evangelizing  or  spreading  the  good  news  of  salvation 
amongst  men,  and  that  agency  is  Medical  Missions.     Doubtless  at 


healing. 


Scriptural  Warrant  for  Medical  Missions.  Ill 

first  it  was  miraculous  cures,  and  in  our  Lord's  case  there  were  Dr.  William 

Gauld. 

several  purposes  to  be  served  by  this  miraculous  healing.  It 
attested  the  divinity  and  divine  Messiahship  of  Christ.  Again, 
it  showed  very  clearly  the  meaning  of  the  salvation  Christ  had 
come  to  work  out  for  men.  He  came  to  reveal  Himself  as  a 
complete  Saviour  for  man,  body,  soul,  and  spirit,  and  to  work 
out  this  full  salvation.  Just  as  sin  had  brought  disease  and  death 
on  the  body  at  the  beginning,  so  we  find  that  sin  and  bodily 
disease  still  go  together ;  and  in  the  gospel  plan  Christ  Jesus  made 
the  healing  of  the  sick  a  concomitant  of  the  manifestation  of  His 
power  as  the  Saviour  of  souls. 

Now  there  are  brethren  here  on  this  platform  who  are  eminently 
fitted,  from  long  experience  in  Medical  Mission  work  at  home  and 
abroad,  amongst  Jews  and  Gentiles,  to  tell  us  this  afternoon  of 
the  success  God  has  granted  to  the  use  of  this  ministry  of  healing 
the  sick  along  with  preaching  the  gospel,  therefore  I  will  leave  it 
to  them. 

I  should  like  just  here  to  say  a  word  upon  another  subject,  and  Medically 
perhaps  it  will  be  one  of  comfort  to  some,  although  it  is  a  point  or  non- 

i  •  j-  i  •  qualified 

upon  which  all  are  not  agreed.  I  refer  to  the  question  of  mission- 
"  qualified  "  or  "  non-qualified  "  medical  missionaries.  Now  although 
I  think  a  non-qualified  man  should  not  call  himself  a  medical 
missionary,  yet  surely  he  may  be  allowed  to  use  his  skill  in  the 
healing  art  so  far  as  he  has  it.  Through  a  university  training  I 
have  the  privilege  of  putting  M.D.  to  my  name,  and  therefore  I  am 
not  biassed  in  favour  of  non-qualified  men ;  but  this  matter  is  one 
to  be  viewed  in  the  light  of  common-sense.  If  it  were  a  question 
simply  between  qualified  and  non-qualified  men  and  women  going 
out,  we  should  say  at  once,  By  all  means  let  every  missionary  who 
goes  to  the  heathen  or  to  Mohammedan  to  heal  the  sick  and 
preach  the  gospel  be  fully  qualified.  But  it  is  really  a  question 
whether,  in  the  absence  of  any  adequate  supply  of  fully-qualified 
medical  missionaries,  and  in  the  face  of  the  great  mass  of  sickness 
and  misery  in  heathen  lands,  the  missionary  may  not  use  the  little 
knowledge  of  medical  science  or  the  surgical  skill  he  possesses,  in 
order  to  alleviate  those  simple  cases  he  can  deal  with,  leaving  the 
more  complex  for  fully-qualified  men  or  women  if  any  are  within 
reach ;  in  such  cases,  I  say,  in  the  name  of  common-sense,  in  the 
name  of  suffering  humanity,  in  the  name  of  Christ  our  Lord  and 
Master,  let  these  men  and  women  who  go  forth  to  the  heathen  use 
whatever  knowledge  or  skill  they  have  acquired  to  relieve  all  the 


112  Medical  Missions. 

Dr.  William  misery  tlioy  can,  and  may  God  bless  them  in  doing  so.     Theories 

Gauld. 

may  be  very  good,  and  yet  may  be  dangerous  when  driven  to  an 
extreme.  We  are  told,  "A  little  knowledge  is  a  dangerous  thing." 
If  that  is  meant  to  induce  us  to  refrain  from  getting  the  little 
knowledge,  then  it  is  misleading ;  but  if  it  means  that  we  are  not 
to  be  contented  with  the  little,  but  to  seek  to  perfect  ourselves  by 
fuller  knowledge,  then  let  it  pass.  But  I  put  alongside  of  it  this, 
that  if  a  little  knowledge  is  a  dangerous  thing,  no  knowledge  may 
Using  a  De  more  dangerous  still ;  may  indeed  be  deadly.  There  are  many 
ied*'e  kn°W"  cases  m  which  a  very  little  knowledge  at  the  first  may  save  life, 
and  even  the  life  of  a  missionary  himself  or  herself,  who  without 
it  would,  humanly  speaking,  die.  I  am  not  at  all  sure  that  many 
of  our  valuable  missionaries  who  have  died  in  heathen  lands 
would  not  be  alive  to-day  if  they,  or  some  comrade  beside  them, 
had  had  some  acquaintance  with  the  simple  rules  of  health,  and 
of  simple  remedies  for  disease  in  those  deadly  climates.  I  think 
it  would  be  well  if  all  missionaries  before  going  abroad  could  by 
any  means  gain  some  knowledge  of  medical  or  surgical  art. 


A    HOME    MEDICAL    MISSION. 
By  Dr.  Thomson  Crabbe. 

Dr.  Thomson  Christian  Friends, — You  have  heard  our  commission — "  Go  ye 
into  all  the  world  and  preach  the  gospel  to  every  creature,"  and 

Preach  and  you  have  also  heard  the  qualification  of  the  worker  in  the  Lord's 
vineyard — "Heal  the  sick  and  preach."  In  obedience  to  that 
command  I  feel  deeply  thankful  that  the  Lord  has  enabled  me 
to  go,  putting  me  into  this  ministry,  and  giving  me  the  double 
work  to  do  in  connection  with  Medical  Mission  service.  I 
well  remember  when  I  first  went  to  the  Cowgate,  in  Edinburgh — 
it  was  then  known  as  "Dear  old  39" — with  Dr.  Burns  Thomson, 
and  the  students  obliterated  the  signs  of  the  old  gin-shops,  all 
being  willing  to  work  to  make  the  place  sweet  and  clean  for  the 
poor  people  we  expected  to  come  in  from  the  districts  around. 

Beginning     That  was   the    beginning   of  Home  Medical   Mission  work,   and 

Medical  there  was  at  that  time  very  little  known  about  it.  There  was 
a  dispensary  in  another  part  of  Edinburgh  where  the  germ  of 
the  agency  was  sown.  Then  Dr.  Burns  Thomson,  who  had  before 
that  written  an  essay  on  "  Medical  Missions,"  was  called  to  take 
up  this  work,  and  prosecute  it.     While  looking  at  this  meeting, 


A  Home  Medical  Mission.  113 

full  of  sympathy  with  all  forms  of  the  Lord's  work,  I  cannot  but  P/.Thomson 

\_/RABBE. 

recall  the  great  difficulty  there  was  to  get  anyone  in  those  days 
to  hear  an  address  on  Medical  Missions.  It  was  even  asked, 
What  is  a  Medical  Mission1?  And  few  cared  to  know  anything 
about  it.  Once  Dr.  Thomson  came  home  from  his  lecturing 
tours  quite  despondent,  when  I  remember  he  had  a  meeting,  and 
the  audience  consisted  of  two  persons.  But  look  at  the  contrast 
now,  and  we  see  this  Medical  Mission  agency  not  only  being 
appreciated  but  becoming  a  blessing  and  a  mighty  power  at  home 
and  abroad. 

During  the  past  twenty-five  years  I  have  been  associated  with  Twenty-flve 

ox  j  j  years 

Medical  Mission   work  at  home,   and   the  longer  I   work   as   a  experience. 

medical  missionary,  the  more  I  am  in  love  with  it,  and  the  more 

do  I  see  the  agency  to  be  one  of  the  most  fitting  and  powerful 

for  gathering  in  the  outcasts  and  bringing  them  into  the  church 

of  God.     And  this  is  not  to  be  wondered  at  when  we  look  at  the 

field   in  which  we  labour,  and  see  God's  tribulum  passing   over 

humanity,  leaving  deep  scars  and  sores,  and  making  the  heart 

sick  and  sad,  as  well  as  the  body !     We  rejoice  that  into  this 

field  the  Medical  Missionary  is  sent  forth  to  sow  the  seed  of  the 

Word,  and  from  which  shall  be  reaped  a  glorious  harvest  to  the 

Lord.     I  have  worked  as  a  Medical  Missionary  in  Edinburgh,  in 

Aberdeen,  and  in  Birmingham,  and  I  think  the  experience  gained 

in  these  different  towns  has  not  been  an  unimportant  factor,  for 

God  has  helped  and  increasingly  blessed  me ;  and  I  have  seen  the 

fruit  of  my  labour  in  the  conversion  of  many  souls. 

The  Medical  Mission  field  of  labour  is  outside  the  church.     We  *wv°s° of 

Medical 

look  at  the  apostolic  days  and  see  that  they  went  forth  into  the  Missions. 
world  healing  and  preaching.  It  was  outside  the  church  that  the 
miraculous  gift  of  healing  was  exerted,  for  when  the  people  were 
brought  into  the  church  this  as  a  rule  ceased.  On  one  occasion  it 
is  recorded  Peter  raised  Dorcas  from  the  dead,  but  in  every  other 
case  when  brought  into  the  church  people  were  subject  to  the 
ordinary  laws  of  life.  Within  the  church,  so  far  as  I  can  see, 
this  gift  of  healing  was  not  exercised.  Hear  Paul's  sad  lament 
when  he  left  Trophimus  at  Miletum  sick.  Why  did  he  not  send 
a  handkerchief  to  heal  him,  as  at  one  time  was  done  outside  the 
church1?  Timothy  also  had  often  infirmities,  and  had  to  take 
ordinary  remedies ;  and  Paul  himself  was  attended  to  by  Luke, 
the  beloved  physician.  I  believe  therefore  these  miraculous  gifts 
were  intended  as  a   means  of  gathering  in,  and  exhibiting  the 

1 


114 


Medical  Missions. 


Dr. Thomson 
Crabbe. 


A  new  field. 


Its  attrac- 
tiveness. 


Coming 
from  afar. 


Its  disarm- 
ing power. 


beneficent  character  of  the  gospel  they  and  we  were  sent  forth 
to  preach. 

In  response  to  the  Divine  call  I  went  to  Birmingham,  and  a 
very  blessed  work  it  has  proved.  Bnt  the  field  was  not  my  own 
choosing ;  my  friend  Dr.  Maxwell  knows  how  difficult  it  was 
to  get  me  to  Birmingham.  In  Scotland  we  had  heard  such 
reports  about  that  town  that  I  feared  at  first  to  undertake  it. 
The  call  came  again,  and  still  I  refused  to  go.  But  in  God's  good 
providence  the  call  came  once  more,  and  the  Lord  showed  me 
clearly  He  wanted  me  there,  as  He  had  much  people  in  that 
city;  and  truly  my  want  of  faith  was  rebuked,  for  my  early 
years'  work  at  Birmingham  were  to  me  as  life  from  the  dead. 
What  marvellous  results  followed !  The  Lord  was  pleased  to 
bless  the  healing  of  the  sick  and  the  preaching  of  the  gospel 
so  much,  that  we  saw  hundreds — we  might  say  thousands— of 
men  and  women  turning  to  the  Lord  their  God. 

One  feature  of  Medical  Mission  work  I  wish  to  emphasize  is, 
that  while  it  is  a  very  quiet  work  it  is  a  very  attractive  work. 
When  a  person  is  sick  his  first  feeling  is,  "Can  I  be  healed  V  and 
if  the  medical  missionary  has  been  able  to  benefit  the  sick  poor,  it 
proves  attractive  to  others.  So  our  mission  has  drawn  people 
from  all  parts  of  Birmingham,  and  the  regions  roundabout. 

For  example,  when  I  returned  from  my  holiday  this  autumn, 
the  first  day  I  found  a  man  there  who  had  something  wrong  with 
his  shoulder.  On  being  asked  where  he  lived,  he  said,  "  I  came 
from  Brierley  Hill."  And  he  had  started  to  walk  at  two  o'clock, 
and  reached  our  doors  between  six  and  seven  in  the  morning. 
Another  woman  had  that  same  day  left  her  home  by  six  in  the 
morning.  They  come  thus  early  because  as  a  rule  Ave  have  more 
people  waiting  their  turn  to  gain  admission  by  eleven,  at  which 
hour  all  must  be  present,  than  we  can  overtake  in  one  da}^.  The 
poor  people,  we  find,  soon  understand  tins  Medical  Mission 
work.  It  is  to  them  a  practical  Christianity,  and  seeing  its 
benefits  they  are  thus  in  a  position  and  in  a  proper  state  of  mind 
to  listen  to  the  message  of  glad  tidings  proclaimed  about  the 
Saviour's  love  for  their  perishing  souls. 

Then  this  work  is  not  only  atl  ractive,  but-  it  lias  also  a  disarming 
power.  We  find  people  have  a  great  many  prejudices  when  they 
come.  I  remember  in  Aberdeen  one  day,  when  1  came  into  the 
room  with  tilt;  Bible  to  give  the  address,  a  woman  looked  at  my 
Bible  and  walked  past  me,  as  much  as  to  say  she  was  not  going  to 


A  Home  Medical  Mission.  115 

stand  that  sort  of  thing.     She  went  out ;  but  the  Lord's  Spirit  ^.Thomson 

OR  ABBE, 

arrested  her  at  the  door,  and  she  stood  there  and  said,  "  What  a 
wicked  woman  I  am."  She  went  off;  hut  came  next  day,  and 
burst  out  with  sorrowing  tears,  saying,  "  What  a  wicked  woman  I 
am  to  go  away  from  the  preaching  of  God's  word."  That  woman 
was  brought  to  the  knowledge  of  the  truth,  and  she  was  one  of 
the  deepest  in  sorrow  when  I  left  the  work  there.  Another  man,  An  infidel, 
an  infidel,  came  to  the  Medical  Mission  in  Birmingham.  He 
stayed  out  the  address  to  the  patients ;  but  when  he  came  to  my 
consulting-room,  and  I  began  to  talk  to  him  about  the  word  which 
had  been  spoken,  he  said,  "  Well,  doctor,  I  've  had  enough  about 
religion ;  I  want  my  body  attended  to."  Feeling  rather  taken 
aback  at  such  an  expression,  I  gave  him  my  advice  and  the 
medicine  required,  and  said,  "It  is  my  plan  to  give  medicine  and 
the  gospel  together;  you  can  do  as  you  like  about  taking  the 
medicine,  and  so  you  can  do  as  you  like  about  accepting  the 
gospel.  I  have  now  given  them  both  to  you."  He  got  worse, 
and  I  was  called  to  see  him  at  his  house.  He  said  to  himself 
(he  told  me  this  after),  "The  doctor  will  be  speaking  to  me  about 
my  soul  again,  but  I'll  be  ready  for  him."  I  attended  to  his 
wants,  and  went  away  this  time  without  speaking  a  word  about 
his  soul.  Next  time  he  said,  "  Doctor,  why  didn't  you  speak  to 
me  about  my  soul  when  you  were  here  last  1  I  was  ready  for  you." 
"And  I  was  ready  for  you,  but  I  thought  you  didn't  like  it; 
besides,  I  thought  it  would  be  casting  pearls  before  swine.  I  had 
delivered  my  soul  by  speaking  to  you,  and  if  you  would  not  take 
the  remedy  that  was  your  look-out."  He  replied,  "  What  a  fool  I 
have  been."  I  said,  "Now  I  will  ask  you  just  to  read  John  iii., 
and  it  will  speak  to  you ;  and  when  you  have  read  it  you  will  tell 
me  what  you  think  of  it,  and  speak  to  me  about  my  soul."  That 
man  ere  long  was  rejoicing  in  Christ,  and  died  about  two  years 
after  resting  in  the  Lord.  Some  time  afterward  a  young  man  at  a 
meeting  introduced  himself  to  me  thus,  "  Doctor,  you  won't  know 
me,  but  you  knew  my  father."  On  his  mentioning  his  name  I 
said,  "  Oh,  yes,  I  remember  him  !"  He  replied,  "What  a  wonder- 
ful change  there  was  on  him  after  he  gave  his  heart  to  the  Lord. 
He  used  often  to  refer  with  sorrow  to  his  first  interview  with  you, 
when  he  was  rude  to  you.  Now  I  am  working  for  Christ, 
testifying  to  the  goodness  of  the  Lord  in  bringing  me  to  the 
knowledge  of  the  truth,  and  my  father  also."  Thus  the  work 
grew  and  spread.    There  are  only  these  two  cases  in  my  experience 

i  2 


116 


Medical  Missions. 


An  interest- 
ing work. 


Dr.THOMsoN  of  twenty-five  years'  Medical  Mission  work  of  anyone  objecting 
to  the  preaching  of  the  gospel,  and  there  the  Lord  gave  me  my 
reward. 

The  Medical  Mission  agency  is  also  an  interesting  work. 
Disagreeable  things  there  are ;  but  we  do  get  interesting  cases, 
medically  as  well  spiritually.  You  know  we  doctors  are  very  fond 
of  interesting  cases,  and  sometimes  when  I  get  such  T  send  them 
up  to  the  hospitals  for  others  to  learn.  But  there  is  a  kind 
of  routine  work  which  is  very  depressing  spiritually,  and  were  it 
not  that  we  have  a  higher  object  in  view — to  give  light  to  dark 
souls — it  would  indeed  be  most  dreary.  I  should  not  like  to  be  a 
doctor  only  to  the  poor,  and  have  nothing  else  higher  to  give 
them.  But  to  open  the  Lord's  treasury  to  the  poor,  and  pour 
balm  into  their  troubled  hearts,  that  is  the  great  joy  of  our 
work,  and  wiles  away  the  many  hours  we  have  to  labour 
daily  amongst  sickness  and  sorrow.  Sometimes,  after  sitting  all 
day  long,  we  are  cheered  by  the  kindly  sympathy  of  the  poor ;  for 
they  will  say,  "  Well,  doctor,  you  must  be  tired.  We  wonder  how 
you  can  have  patience  to  see  us  all  this  time."  "Well,"  I  say, 
"  the  Lord  gives  me  grace ;  and  when  I  see  you  turning  to  the 
Lord  that  is  joy  to  my  heart,  and  will  be  my  crown  of  rejoicing  at 
last." 

Another  characteristic  of  the  work  is  that  it  has  been  manifestly 
Messed.  However  excellent  and  perfect  the  machinery  may  be, 
it  requires  the  steam  to  set  it  going.  So  with  the  Medical 
Mission,  we  must  have  the  Spirit  of  God  to  make  it  work.  And 
God  has  been  pleased  to  work  by  the  Medical  Mission  agency  in 
Birmingham  in  a  wondrous  way.  He  is  giving  us  to  see  that  our 
work  is  indeed  of  Him. 

The.  Mission  has  developed  in  a  marvellous  way  in  Birmingham. 
When  we  went  there  ten  years  ago  the  premises  were  inferior  to 
those  where  we  began  work  in  the  Cowgate  of  Edinburgh.  After 
a  year  and  a  half's  work  in  them,  however,  the  Mission  so 
commended  itself  that,  by  the  generosity  of  our  Christian  friends, 
we  had  a  splendid  institution  built  to  meet  all  our  wants.  There 
week-days  and  Sundays  this  work  is  being  carried  on,  and  the 
place  is  just  like  a  beehive.  When  I  tell  you  we  have  about  a 
hundred  thousand  visits  one  way  and  another  I"  the  premises 
in  the  course  of  a  year,  you  will  understand  the  activity  mani- 
fested in  the  Medical  Mission  there.  We  have  about  four 
thousand  five  hundred  new  cases  coming  three  days  a  week,  with 


A  blessed 
work. 


Rapid 

extension. 


A  Home  Medical  Mission.  117 

an  average  of  four  consultations  in  each  case.     Besides  this  we  di-.thomson 

°  Crabbe. 

visit  the  poor  at  their  homes,  within  a  certain  radius,  when  too 
ill  to  come  and  see  the  doctor. 

Another  feature  I  would  mention.      We  have  not   only  the  Auxiliary 

J  agencies. 

healing  of  the  sick,  but  also  agencies  of  various  kinds  connected 
with  it,  for  those  who  prefer  to  remain  for  a  time  with  us  will 
sometimes  return  to  us  after  joining  other  churches ;  for,  be  it 
understood,  those  people  who  have  been  blessed  through  the 
preaching  of  the  gospel  by  us,  whose  hearts  the  Lord  has  opened, 
go  and  join  places  of  worship  in  various  parts.  They  ask  our 
advice,  and  we  tell  them  we  do  not  wish  to  say  where  they 
should  go;  so  they  go  to  various  denominations.  Two  Sundays 
ago  a  woman  from  our  Mission  was  baptized  (immersed)  in  a 
chapel,  and  others  join  churches  and  chapels  around.  Some  of 
these  people,  who  won't  leave  us,  form  the  nucleus  of  our  workers. 
We  set  them  going  in  form  of  service  suitable  for  them,  telling 
them  that  having  been  blessed  themselves  they  should  seek  to 
tell  others  what  a  Saviour  they  have  found.  So  they  go  into  the 
courts  and  cottages  and  preach  the  gospel  on  Sundays. 

On  Sunday  mornings  we  have  about  eight  of  our  people  who  Co-workers, 
have  been  brought  to  the  knowledge  of  the  truth,  and  who  hold 
services  for  children.  On  Sunday  afternoons  we  have  men's  and 
women's  Bible-classes,  as  well  as  children,  at  the  Sunday-school; 
and  at  night  we  have  a  large  evangelistic  meeting,  when  the  hall 
is  usually  crowded.  The  night  before  we  came  to  London  we 
did  not  get  home  from  the  Medical  Mission  until  after  eleven. 
We  had  such  a  glorious  meeting.  The  hall  was  quite  full,  and 
the  enthusiasm  great ;  and  you  will  wonder  when  I  tell  you  that 
every  one  of  these  poor  persons  present  paid  threepence,  and 
some  of  them  for  front  seats  sixpence.  The  object  of  this  effort 
was,  the  leader  of  our  choir  had  lost  his  health,  and  being  unable 
to  work,  got  into  straits.  Then  the  people  said,  "A  great  many 
can  help  one,  when  one  cannot  help  a  great  many.  So  we  will 
put  our  shoulders  to  the  wheel  and  have  a  '  Service  of  Song,'  and 
pay  for  admission."  That  evening  Ave  brought  in  Christie's  Old 
Organ,  which  Mrs.  Crabbe  read,  and  it  played  so  sweetly  the 
story  of  God's  love,  that  many  were  moved  to  tears. 

Then  the  people  were  willing  and- anxious  to  help  us  all  they  How  the 
can,  for  the  Mission  is  helping  them.     They  were  aware  that  the 
Mission  has  been   tried  for  want  of    funds  lately,  so  they  said, 
"Cannot  we  do  something  ?    Could  we  not  take  collecting-cards,  and 


118  Medical  Missions. 

Dt.Thomsoh  go  and  gather  pence,  if  nothing  more1?"     They  did  so  with  a  will, 

ORABBE. 

for  they  gave,  or  were  instrumental  in  securing,  ahout  £23  in  small 
sums  !  And  this  is  only  one  part  of  the  help  they  render.  In 
our  week-day  patients'  service  we  have  a  collection  for  those  who 
choose  to  give  a  trifle.  Last  year  we  got  about  £46  from  them. 
They  gave  their  halfpennies  and  pennies  just  as  they  were  able, 
and  the  many  little  mites  made  up  that  handsome  sum.  Then 
on  Sunday  evenings  we  have  a  collection,  because  we  teach  the 
people  a  whole  gospel  of  giving  as  well  as  receiving,  that  it  is 
their  duty  to  give  their  little  as  they  have  received,  even  as  the 
poor  widow  gave  her  all ;  reminding  them  that '  they  used  to  find 
money  for  a  half  pint  of  beer  now  and  then.  So  we  give  them 
the  opportunity  of  putting  their  mites  to  good  use.  These  poor 
people  are  now  giving  at  the  rate  of  ten  shillings  each  Sunday 
evening.  They  help  all  they  can,  for  they  know  the  work  the 
Medical  Mission  is  doing.  We  praise  God  for  this  grateful  spirit 
and  response. 

Let  me  read  you  one  letter  to  show  how  the  Mission  is 
appreciated  by  others.  It  is  from  a  person  who  is  in  business 
near  us,  and  has  been  observing  our  work. 

a  cheering        "  Dear  Sir, — I  do  not  know  how  vcrar  mission  in  Floodgate 

letter 

Street  is  supported,  nor  if  you  have  any  need  of  pecuniary  help. 
But  from  the  many  poor  who  visit  my  shop  I  have  ample  means 
of  knowing  how  well  you  are  appreciated,  and  the  good,  both 
physically  and  mentally,  they  derive  from  your  visits.  This  fact 
is  not  only  encouraging  to  yourself,  but  lias  also  inclined  me  to 
offer  to  become  an  annual  subscriber  of  one  sovereign,  if  you  will 
kindly  signify  your  acceptance  of  this  offer. 

"  Wishing  you  increased  usefulness  in  the  work, 

"Yours,  *  *  *  *» 

Some  of   the  employers  around  are  sending  in  contributions, 

showing  they  watch  our  work,  and  think  it  real. 

As  the  time  at  my  disposal  is  now  gone,  I  must  mean  while 
withhold  other  features  and  interesting  cases  of  which  I  could 
speak,  and  wish  that  the  Lord  would  abundantly  Mess  the  work 
of  Medical  Missions  at  home  and  abroad. 

Prayer  followed  by  Mr.  A.  II.  L.  Fraser,  and  hymn  No.  22  was 

sun0, — 

"Tell  it  out  among  the  heathen,  that  the  Lord  is  King! 

Tell  it  out!     Tell  it.  out!" 


Indian  Medical  Missions.  119 


INDIAN  MEDICAL   MISSIONS. 
By  Dr.  W.  Carey. 
Dear  Christian  Friends, — I  think  it  is  a  great  privilege  accorded  Dr.  w. 

Carey. 

to  me  to-day  to  have  an  opportunity  of  speaking  to  you,  and  telling 

you  something  of  the  work  being  done  in  far-off  lands.     I  regret  Medical 

?  .  Missions 

very  much,  with  you,  I  have  not  the  opportunity  of  shaking  hands  abroad, 
to-day  with  my  old  friend  Dr.  Burns  Thomson;  for  I  was  once 
working  with  him  in  the  Cowgate,  Edinburgh.     I  was  a  student 
then,  and  he  was  superintendent  of  the  Mission.     I  know  No.  39, 
Cowgate,  very  well. 

But  now  I  must  take  you  far  away,    off   to    India,   to  that  £  sr?at 

J  J  Empire. 

immense  tract  of  land  which,  in  God's  Providence,  He  has  placed 
in  our  hands.  That  land  is,  from  north  to  south,  about  1,900 
miles,  and  from  east  to  west  about  1,500  miles,  with  a  population 
of  something  over  255  millions  of  people.  God  has  put  all  these 
into  our  hands,  and  has  bidden  us  go  forth  and  preach  the  gospel 
to  them.  In  1881  I  had  the  opportunity  of  going  to  Calcutta,  and 
met  in  Conference  brethren  from  all  parts  of  India,  Ceylon,  and 
Burmah — workers  from  all  parts  of  the  Empire.  I  was  surprised 
indeed  to  find  that  out  of  the  whole  number  gathered  together  hi 
Conference — 681  missionaries  and  their  wives  engaged  in  work — 
only  twenty-eight  were  medical  missionaries,  and  of  this  number 
only  two  were  connected  with  the  Baptist  Missionary  Society. 

Well,  these  workers  are  now  scattered  all  over  India.  I  am  Work  in 
located  in  part  of  the  North-west  Province,  at  Delhi,  which  has 
always  been  a  very  important  city,  and  is  still  considered  an 
important  place,  having  a  population  of  160,000  people.  I  have 
been  working  there  since  1875  ;  and,  remember,  there  are  amongst 
these  people  about  90,000  Mohammedans. 

Now  our  Society  has  been  working  in  that  city  for  many  years, 
and  God  has  blessed  its  labours,  and  fruit  has  been  found  amongst 
the  Hindoos ;  but  it  seemed  as  if  God  withheld  the  blessing  from 
the  Mohammedans.  It  is  extremely  difficult  to  get  at  these 
people,  who  will  stand  perhaps  five  minutes  at  our  bazaar  services, 
but  often  for  the  express  purpose  of  interrupting  the  meeting,  and 
if  possible  to  break  it  up.  They  do  not  Avish  to  hear  themselves, 
and  they  wish  to  hinder  others  from  hearing. 


120 


Medical  Missions. 


Dr.  w. 
Carey. 


The 
Moslems. 


A  i lay's 
work. 


Annliji  clinii 
answered. 


The  brethren  therefore  of  the  Delhi  Mission  were  very  anxious 
that  a  medical  missionary  should  be  sent  there,  believing  that 
amongst  the  Moslem  population  he  would  be  of  service.  Thus  I 
was  sent,  in  the  hope  that,  with  my  medical  knowledge,  I  might 
be  able  to  get  amongst  these  people,  and  influence  them  better 
than  one  not  so  qualified.  I  went  there  accordingly,  and  very 
soon  got  to  work.  I  did  not  know  the  language  well,  but  had  to 
make  the  best  of  my  opportunities  for  acquiring  it.  There  was  at 
that  time  a  Government  dispensary,  with  a  small  hospital  attached 
to  it ;  and  the  assistant  civil  surgeon  very  kindly  allowed  me  to 
take  charge  of  the  hospital  for  about  two  months.  Here  I  had 
opportunities  of  seeing  the  natives  and  talking  to  them,  and 
whenever  the  opportunity  occurred  I  spoke  to  them  of  Jesus. 
Soon  I  was  enabled  to  open  a  dispensary  of  my  own,  in  the  heart 
of  the  city — a  very  small  one.  Then  another  and  another,  until 
I  opened  the  one  now  in  use,  which  is  the  fifth  of  which  I  have 
been  in  charge. 

Now  just  glance  at  the  work  in  the  dispensary.  I  told  you  I 
was  once  at  39,  Cowgate,  Edinburgh,  and  I  have  always  worked 
in  a  certain  degree  on  the  plan  adopted  there.  Early  in  the 
morning,  at  6  a.m.  (that  is  earlier,  of  course,  than  we  opened  in 
the  Cowgate),  we  open  the  doors,  and  generally  from  sixty  to 
eighty  poor  patients  are  found  waiting  outside.  Directly  they 
have  passed  in  I  go  to  the  head  of  the  room,  and  take  the  only 
seat  in  the  place,  the  people  sitting  on  the  floor,  as  they  usually 
do.  Going  to  this  chair,  I  take  God's  word,  and  read  a  portion 
and  explain  it,  offer  a  short  prayer,  and  the  service  is  over.  It  is 
very  short,  about  twenty  minutes,  because  I  know  many  there  are 
suffering  pain,  which  I  may  perhaps  be  able  to  relieve  immediately. 
Now  look  at  the  people  assembled.  They  are  very  mixed.  We 
have  high  caste,  low  caste,  middle  caste,  and  no  caste  at  all;  and 
we  have  Hindoos  and  Mohammedans.  We  speak  to  them,  and 
they  listen  most  attentively  and  readily. 

"Yes,"  many  friends  will  say;  "but  don't  you  see,  Dr.  Cany, 
you  are  taking  an  unfair  advantage  of  these  people?  You  get 
them  to  come  to  youi  dispensary  for  medicine,  and  you  compel 
them  to  listen  to  you."  Now  if  you  knew  as  much  of  the  work 
as  I  do,  you  would  know  there  is  no  compulsion.  If  you  came 
there,  you  would  hear  me  say,  as  I  often  do,  "Now,  dear  friends, 
I  am  going  to  read  God's  word,  and  speak  about  Jesus.  If  any 
one  has  any  objection,  lie  or  she  is  at  liberty  to  retire."     Well, 


Indian  Medical  Missions.  121 

my  experience  has  been  somewhat  different  from  the  experience  Dr.  w. 
of  my  friend  Dr.  Crabbe.  I  look  back  over  the  time  in  which  I 
have  been  engaged  in  the  work,  and  can  recall  not  a  single 
instance  in  which  a  man  or  woman  has  got  up  and  gone  out  while 
I  have  been  speaking.  I  have  been  interrupted  by  expressions  of 
approval,  such  as,  "  Yes,  that  is  quite  true ;  say  it  again,"  and 
so  on. 

Well,  you  may  ask  what  is  the  result  of  all  these  labours.     We  £  bigoted 

'  °  J  Moham- 

have  had  fruit  from  time  to  time.  Let  me  give  you  one  single  medan. 
instance.  Some  years  ago  I  noticed  a  man  coming  in  at  the  door 
at  the  end  of  the  building,  and  sitting  down  by  himself.  His  was 
the  most  striking  figure  in  the  gathering.  I  had  previously  noticed 
him  in  the  city  engaged  in  work  which  convinced  me  he  was  a 
bigoted  Mohammedan.  He  was  a  Pathan,  and  had  come  from 
across  the  borders  of  India;  he  had  come  to  Delhi,  and  thrown 
himself  upon  his  co-religionists  for  support.  The  Mohammedans 
will  not  let  any  of  their  religion  die  from  hunger.  They  gave 
him  food,  but  took  care  to  make  him  work  for  it ;  they  gave  him 
some  duties  to  perform.  There  is  a  mosque  just  opposite  my 
house,  the  entrance  of  which  is  a  high  gateway,  flanked  on  each 
side  by  minarets.  Now  I  had  seen  this  Mohammedan  sitting  on 
the  top  of  the  archway  teaching  a  number  of  Moslem  texts  from 
the  Koran.  It  was  also  part  of  his  work  to  go  up  three  or  five 
times  a  day,  as  the  case  might  be,  to  the  top  of  one  of  the 
minarets,  and  shout  out  that  the  hour  of  prayer  had  arrived.  I 
had  seen  this  man,  and  he  was  dressed  so  peculiarly  he  could  not 
help  attracting  my  attention.  He  had  been  taken  ill,  and  came  to 
our  dispensary  for  advice.  He  listened  to  my  address,  and  at  the 
close  of  the  service  came  forward  directly.  Although  he  was  the 
last  to  come  in,  he  thought  he  had  a  right  to  be  first  seen.  He 
came  pushing  his  way  up.  When  he  came  up  to  me  I  said, 
"What  do  you  want1?"  "Treatment,  of  course."  "Treatment 
you  will  have  ;  but  we  have  a  rule  here,  and  you  must  respect  it. 
'First  come  first  served.'  We  make  no  distinction  between  caste 
here.  All  who  come  shall  be  seen  hi  their  turn."  The  man  went 
back  in  a  great  rage,  and  went  out  of  the  place,  his  dignity  hurt.  Caste. 
However,  he  reconsidered  the  matter,  and  returned  to  his  place. 
There  he  waited  until  I  had  seen  every  patient.  "  Now,"  I  said, 
"my  man,  it  is  your  turn;  come  up."  He  would  not  move,  so  I 
had  to  persuade  him  to  come  up.  He  was  quite  sulky,  but  told 
me   what   was  the   matter,  and  I  treated  him,  and  he  was  soon 


122  Medical  Missions. 

Dr.  w.         restored  to  health.     The  last  time  he  came  I  said,  "  You  are  well 
Carey.  ' 

now,  and  there  is  no  necessity  for  coming  again."     He  replied, 

"Yes,  thank  God,  I  am;"  and  for  a  time  disappeared.     But  one 

day  I  saw  him  sitting  in  his  old  place,  right  in  the  corner  at  the 

door.     He  waited  till  I  had  seen  one  or  two  cases,  then  went 

away.     I  kept  my  eye  on  him,  and  saw  him  come  two  or  three 

times  in  this  manner.     One  day  I  detained  him.     "  I  want  to  see 

you,"  I  said.     "Are  you  not  well?"     "Thank  God,   I  am  very 

An  enquirer,  well,"  he  replied.  "Then  why  do  you  come  here?"  His  answer 
was,  "  I  have  been  greatly  impressed  with  what  I  heard  you  say 
about  Jesus  Christ,  and  I  am  anxious  to  know  more  about  Him. 
Will  you  tell  me?" 

Of  course  I  was  only  too  glad  to  tell  him  all  I  could.  I  took 
him  into  my  room,  and  with  a  native  brother  taught  him  to  the 
best  of  our  ability.  At  last  he  asked  to  be  baptized,  and  we 
found  no  reason  to  refuse.  He  was  baptized,  and  became  a 
consistent  member  of  the  Delhi  Church.  So  God  is  blessing  our 
work,  and  I  might  spend  the  whole  of  our  time  this  afternoon  in 
giving  other  instances. 

Preaching  Thus  we  spend  the  day  in  the  dispensary  seeing  these  poor 
people,  and  teaching  them  as  much  about  the  great  Physician  of 
souls  as  we  can.  In  the  evening  I  preach  in  the  city  or  suburb, 
just  as  my  unqualified  brethren  do.  Then  I  visit  many  at  their 
own  homes,  who  are  too  sick  to  come,  and  there  I  am  permitted  to 
go  in  and  out  of  the  huts  and  homes,  and  sitting  down  by  the 
patient's  bedside  can  tell  him  of  Jesus.  Thus  I  have  an  oppor- 
tunity of  telling  the  good  news  all  around  ;  and  as  it  is  customary 
when  a  European  passes  from  house  to  house  for  the  people  to 
follow  him,  I  am  able  in  this  way  while  speaking  to  the  sick  man 
to  speak  spiritual  truths  to  those  around  the  door. 

Serious  Then  frequently  surgical  cases  come  before  me,  and  as  I  have 

casus.  . 

no  hospital  I  endeavour  to  send  such  cases  to  the  government 
hospital.  But  sometimes  a  patient  will  be  brought  by  his  friends 
to  me,  requiring  a  serious  operation.  I  refuse  to  undertake  it, 
saying,  "I  cannot  do  it  here;  he  must  go  into  the  hospital  I 
promise  you  if  he  goes  in  I  will  see  him  as  often  as  I  can."  "No, 
sahib,  we  cannot  take  the  man  there.  If  you  cannot  undertake 
to  treat  him  yourself  we  shall  have  to  take  him  home."  "But  if 
you  take  him  home  he  will  die."  "We  rann.it  help  that;  die  he 
must."  In  such  cases  1  have  been  compelled  to  undertake  the 
operation  after  securing  a  house  close  by,  where  1  can  operate  on 


Indian  Medical  Missions.  123 

him  as  best  I  can  with  the  help  of  one  or  two  native  assistants.  Dr.  w. 

.  .  Carey. 

God  has  blessed  such  efforts,  and  sometimes  the  patients  have 
been  restored  to  health.  Well,  when  such  a  man  has  been  healed, 
or  a  boy  has  been  operated  upon  and  recovered,  he  goes  back  to 
his  village  home. 

In  the  winter  it  is  my  custom  to  visit  a  number  of  the  villages.  I°11tlJres 
As  I  enter  the  village  in  which  the  healed  person  lives  I  am  met 
by  the  boy,  who  smiles.  "Well,  my  boy,  are  you  well?"  "Yes, 
sahib."  Still  he  smiles,  and  I  say,  "You  seem  to  know  me." 
"  Why,"  says  one,  "  this  is  the  little  fellow  you  operated  upon  six 
months  ago."  And  through  him  all  the  villagers  have  heard  about 
me,  and  they  come  out  to  meet  the  doctor  sahib.  Directly  I  enter 
the  place  the  people  hail  me  as  a  friend  whom  they  seem  to  have 
known  for  a  long  time,  and  bring  out  their  sick  to  me. 

My  main  object  in  this  village  visitation  is  to  preach  the 
gospel.  As  a  help,  I  treat  minor  cases ;  for  when  I  have  relieved 
them  it  gives  me  greater  access  to  the  people.  The  important 
cases  I  ask  to  come  for  treatment  at  the  dispensary  in  Delhi. 
Sometimes  these  villages  are  Hindoo,  and  sometimes  Mohammedan. 
On  leaving  a  Hindoo  village  after  preaching,  I  have  been  asked  a  warning 
the  question,  by  those  I  am  leaving,  "Are  you  going  to  that 
village1?"  "Yes."  "Do  not  go  there;  the  villagers  are  bigoted 
men.  If  they  do  not  assault  you,  they  will  insult  you."  I  go, 
notwithstanding  the  warning. 

My  usual  plan  in  visiting  villages  in  the  district  is,  if  it  be 
a  Hindoo  village,  to  take  some  Christian  books  and  papers  under 
my  arm,  and  my  hymn-book  in  my  hand.  The  people  soon  gather 
around  me.  I  distribute  these  papers  among  them  after  holding  a 
short  service.  But  when  I  go  to  a  Moslem  village,  instead  of 
papers  and  hymn-book,  I  arm  myself  with  a  small  medicine 
chest.  I  make  then  for  the  central  tree,  usually  found  in  the 
middle  of  every  Indian  village,  and  sit  down  quietly  there. 
After  a  time  one  or  two  men  will  come  and  stare  at  me,  wondering 
who  I  am,  and  why  I  have  come  there.  I  ask  them  to  come 
nearer  and  sit  down.  "I  should  like  to  have  a  chat  with  you,"  I 
say.  Then  I  ask,  "Are  there  any  sick  in  the  village?"  "Yes." 
"Well,  tell  them  to  come  and  meet  me  at  the  tree.  I  am  a 
doctor-sahib,  and  shall  perhaps  be  able  to  do  them  good.  A 
number  of  slight  cases  come,  and  I  treat  them  on  the  spot,  and 
talk  to  them,  directing  them  to  Jesus  while  I  am  treating  them ; 
others    are    listening    round.      "Are    there    no    more    sick?"    I 


124 


Medical  Missions. 


Dr.  w. 

Carey. 


ask  again.  "  Yes,  but  they  cannot  come ;  they  are  at  home." 
"Then  I  will  go  and  see  them;"  and  I  go  from  house  to  house  in 
this  Mohammedan  village,  and,  as  a  rule,  receive  a  hearty 
welcome.  I  have  never  left  such  a  village  without  receiving 
thanks  for  kindness,  and  a  request  to  come  again.  So  in  every 
possible  way  we  endeavour  to  make  the  knowledge  of  Christ 
known  to  these' people,  as  only  a  medical  missionary  can  do.  In 
the  dispensary,  at  their  homes,  in  the  city,  and  in  the  villages, 
wherever  we  go,  we  tell  out  the  good  news  of  salvation  through 
Jesus  Christ,  and  God  is  greatly  blessing  our  work. 

At  the  close  of  this  address,  hymn  No.  32  was  sung — 

"  Jesus  shall  reign  where'er  the  sun 
Doth  his  successive  journeys  run." 


THE    JEWS    IN    BOME. 


Dr.  David 
Young. 


Giving  of 
moneyversus 

personal 
service. 


Lack  of 

missionary 
spirit. 


Gifts  of 
money  no 
substitute 
for  persona] 

service. 


By  Dr.  David  Young. 

"  Go  ye  therefore  and  make  disciples  of  all  the  nations  .  .  .  but 
tarry  ye  in  the  city  until  ye  be  clothed  with  power  from  on  high." 
"Go  ye,"  "tarry  ye,"  these  are  the  keynotes  of  our  Lord's 
commission.  Now  let  me  give  expression  to  a  thought  which  has 
lain  heavy  on  my  heart  these  two  days  of  our  Conference,  and 
which  has  not  been  referred  to  by  any  speaker ;  namely,  the 
danger  nowadays  of  the  giving  of  money  instead  of  personal 
service  for  the  work  of  the  Lord  Jesus.  Very  often,  instead 
of  the  church  fostering  the  spiritual  life,  and  tenderly  seeking  to 
develop  a  deeper  personal  love  to  the  Lord  Jesus,  and  more, 
perfect  obedience  to  His  claims  among  her  members,  she  has 
concerned  herself  more  with  the  collecting  of  the  voluntary  taxes 
which  she  urged  upon  them  to  give.  Hence  it  is  that  to-day 
we  have  to  lament  so  much  the  absence  throughout  the  church  of 
that  missionary  spirit  which  our  Lord  expected  fco  be  cherished  by 
every  one  who  loves  His  name;  and  this  lias  led  the  church  in 
too  many  cases  fco  the  belief,  tin'  fatal  belief,  that  the  claims 
of  our  divine  Master  can  be  satisfied  by  such  gifts.  No  money 
gifts,  however  great,  can  be  a,  substitute  for  personal  service. 
Pastors  and  people  alike  seem  to  have  forgotten  thai  the  Lord 
asked  us  to  give  ourselves.  He  does  not  ask  us  to  give,  but 
to  serve.      He  asks  not  ours,  but  ourselves;  not.  merely  to  give, 


The  Jeivs  in  Borne.  125 

but  to  spend  and  be  spent  in  carrying  the  gospel  to  every  creature.  Dr.  David 

Is  it  not  true  to-day  that  there  are  thousands  of  Christian  fathers 

and  mothers  in  England  who  would  feel  it  a  great  honour  if  their  what  many 

,  if  i  c  o        ■  ■,  i  Christian 

sons  were  chosen  to  form  members  of    some  foreign  boundary  parents 

,       i       n  •  ,  .  , .  covet  for 

commission,  or  to  lead  a  campaign  against  an  insurrectionary  their 
foe,  but  who  are  sadly  disappointed  and  refuse  their  permission  c " ( lcn' 
when  these  same  sons  desire  to  become  ambassadors  for  Christ1? 
I  hold  in  my  hand  a  letter  written  by  one  of  several  daughters, 
whose  young  heart  is  burdened  with  a  sense  of  the  claims  of 
her  divine  Master,  and  who  says  she  knows  that  many  of  her 
companions   are   feeling   the   same.     She   wants  this  burden  to  Special 

°  prayer  for 

be  shared  by  this  Conference,  and  asks  prayer  to  be  specially  made  Christian 
this  afternoon  that  Christian  parents  may  be  made  willing  to  give 
up  their  children  to  Jesus  Christ,  for  service  which  He  asks.  Oh,' 
I  pray  that  to-day  there  may  be  such  a  manifestation  of  the  power 
of  the  Holy  Spirit,  that  fathers  and  mothers  will  realize  the 
privilege  of  yielding  their  sons  and  daughters  to  the  Master  when 
He  comes  to  ask  them  for  this  service.  I  leave  that  thought 
with  you ;  I  felt  I  must  give  it  utterance. 

Now  iust  a  word  about  a  little  work  to  which  the  Lord  has  T,hei,ewAin 

°  the  Ghetto. 

called  me.     For   many   years  I  have    taken  a  deep  interest  in 

God's  ancient  Israel ;  and  finding  that  a  large  number  of  them 

dwelt  in  the  Ghetto  of  Kome,  I  removed  my  home  from  Florence 

to  that  city  in  which  the  Jews  have  dwelt  since  the  days  of 

Imperial  Kome,  and  where  they  were  visited  by  the  great  apostle,  lome." 

who  spent  two  years  among  them ;    and  yet   where,   so  far  as 

I  know,  not  one  Jew  has  been  brought  to  Christ,  from  the  days  of 

the  apostle's  visit,  until  about  two  years  ago.     All  these  years  ^j1  rren 

these  six  thousand  or  more  Jews  were  "a  people  scattered  and 

peeled;"  no  one  seemed  to  care  for  their  souls.     Several  earnest 

workers  had  already  engaged  in  some  little  service  for  them ;  but 

they  were  so  anxious  not  to  awaken  prejudice  among  the  people, 

that    their    efforts    never    assumed   any   very   aggressive    form. 

Amongst  these  people  I  went  three  years  ago  with  much  trembling. 

After  surveying  the  field,  I  spoke  to  several  of   the  Jews,  and  The  estab- 

ii  i  iii  lishment  of 

then  made  arrangements  as  to  rooms,   and  thus  the  work  was  a  christian 
begun.     For  several  weeks  not  much  was  done;  the  people  were  in  the 
suspicious,   and  would  not  come  near  us.      By-and-by  one   and 
another  ventured  to  visit  the  dispensary,  and  it  pleased  the  Lord 
to  bless  the  medical  help  rendered.     The  little  work  now  began  to 
spread,  and  in  less  than  three  months  our  rooms  were  crowded ; 


126  Medical  Missions. 

Dr.  David    and  during  the  first  year  not  a   few  had  their   hearts   opened 

to  receive  the  Word  which  was  preached  to  them. 
now  the  The  first  thing  that  really   hroke  ground  was  this.     Several 

door  was  .  .         .      -.  . 

opened.  patients  who  had  been  at  the  dispensary  questioned  my  two 
Scotch  deaconnesses  regarding  myself.  "Who  sends  the  doctor 
here?  What  society  provides  all  the  medicines?  And  Avhy 
do  you  come  and  visit  us,  and  attend  to  us  as  you  do?" 

The  value  "  We  are  sent  by  no  society,"  was  the  reply.     "  We  only  come 

of  unpaid  J  J '  L   J  J 

service.  out  of  pure  sympathy  and  affection  for  you — to  aid  you  in 
your  sicknesses,  and  to  tell  you  of  Jesus,  the  great  Physician,  who 
saved  us  from  sin,  and  who  desires  to  save  you."  This  simple 
appeal  touched  their  hearts  and  softened  them,  and  tears  of 
gratitude  rolled  down  cheeks  which  had  long  been  strangers 
to  such  emotions.  Many  homes  were  now  thrown  open  to  us, 
and   the    Ghetto   could   be   visited   in   its   length   and   breadth. 

tothe work.  AH  this  time  we  were  without  opposition,  which  filled  our  hearts 
with  gratitude ;  and  occasionally  a  Eabbi  would  appear  amongst 
the  patients.  However,  the  year  following,  having  to  change  our 
locale,  we  found  great  difficulty  in  getting  another.  Week 
after  week,  and  month  after  month,  we  searched  and  found  none. 
The  Rabins  were  arrayed  against  us,  and  had  agreed  together 
that  no  rooms  should  be  given  for  the  dispensary,  and  pointed 
reference  was  made  to  the  subject  in  the  synagogues.  During 
this  time  of  trial,  those  who  had  been  benefited  by  our  work  the 

The  poor      year  before  stood  by  us,  and  once  or  twice  sent  deputations  of 

appealing  to 

the  Rabbis,  their  own  accord  to  the  Rabbis,  asking  how  it  was  that  friends 

who  had  acted  so  lovingly,  and  sympathized  so  deeply  with  them, 

should  be  thus  turned  away  from  the  Ghetto. 

"How  is  it,"  I  asked  one  of  them,  "we  are  thus  kept  out?" 

"It  is  not  your  medical  work  they  object  to,"  was  the  reply, 

"  but  it  is  the  name  you  preach ;  they  are  frightened  at  the  name 

of  Jesus.     They  know  its  power,  and  that  is  why  they  are  banded 

together  to  prevent  your  getting  rooms." 

New  locale         But  the  Lord  was  with  us,  and  by-and-by  the  house  of  all  others 
found.  '  J  \ 

we  should  have  chosen  was  given  to  us  unasked.     There  the  work 

was  recommenced;  and  there  was  great  joy  among  many  in  the 

Ghetto  when  the  dispensary  doors  were  once  more  thrown  open. 

Second  This  last  year  scarcely  a  week  has  passed  by  without  some  fresh 

'enquirer;  and  day  by  day  as  many  as  twenty  or  thirty  Jewish 

men  and  women  may  be  seen  assembled  in  our  rooms  searching 

into  the  word  of  God. 


The  Jews  in  Rome.  127 

Only  a  few  months  ago  one  of  your  most  popular  preachers  Dr.  David 
came  to  Rome,  and  has  since  published  an  account  of  his  travels 
in  Italy.     Speaking  of  the  Ghetto  he  says,  "  We  went  down  one  a  visitor  to 
morning  to  the  Ghetto,  and  found  ourselves  at  the  head  of  the 
Via  Rua — the  chief   street  of   the  Jewish  quarter.     We  looked 
down  the  street,  but  such  was  the  squalor  and  dirt,   the  dust 
and  din,  that  we  went  no  further.     That  look  was  enough  for  us, 
and  we  quickly  retraced  our  steps."     Oh,  we   could  have  told 
that   brother   that   there   are   in   the    Ghetto  other  things  than 
squalor   and  dirt,    and  dust  and   din !      There    is  a  "reen   spot A  &e.e\, 
there — a  bright  green  spot — upon  which  the  Master's  eye  rests  Ghetto, 
with  delight,  and  upon  which  His  gracious  smile  has  been  shed. 
In  that  Ghetto  there  are  those  who  have  given  their  hearts  to 
Jesus.     Some  of  the  longdost,  wandering  sons  and  daughters  of 
Abraham,  the  friend  of  God,  are  now  gathered  into  the  fold. 

Two  years  ago  one  of  the  saddest  and  most  wretched-looking  a  brother 

J  °  °  beloved. 

men  I  have  ever  seen  came  to  the  dispensary.  On  his  face  was 
written  degradation,  misery,  and  destitution.  Gazing  at  him 
the  faithless  thought  passed  through  my  mind — Is  it  possible  for 
even  the  Son  of  God  to  make  anything  of  a  man  like  that? 
I  had  never  seen  such  a  human  being  with  so  much  want,  so 
much  misery,  so  much  suffering,  written  on  every  line  of  his 
face.    Yet  what  hath  God  wrought  1    Only  a  few  weeks  ago  at  one  a  true 

missionary. 

of  our  daily  meetings  the  same  man  was  seen  to  take  out  his 
New  Testament  from  his  pocket,  and  opening  it  at  John  xx.,  he 
went  to  a  poor  woman  sitting  in  the  corner,  and  beginning  at  the 
first  verse  read  on  till  he  came  to  the  sixth  or  seventh.  Then  he 
said  to  her,  "Do  you  know  why  that  grave  was  empty1?" 

She  said,  "  No." 

He  replied,  "  Into  that  grave  Jesus,  our  Messiah,  went  for  me ; 
out  of  that  grave  Jesus,  our  Messiah,  came  for  me." 

Oh,  beloved,  I  would  ask  you  to  give  thanks  to  God  for  these  Prayer  for 
gracious  openings  amongst  this  ancient  people.  We  ask  your 
prayers.  We  ask  not  your  money,  we  do  not  need  that ;  but  we 
ask  your  prayers.  Above  all,  may  we  seek  to  be  more  and  more 
enlightened  by  the  Holy  Spirit  as  to  the  place  which  God  has 
given  Israel  in  His  holy  porch,  and  may  we  seek  to  give  them 
the  same  place  in  our  hearts'  affection.  Then  shall  we  get  on  the 
right  lines  of  work,  and  will  be  doing  God's  work  in  God's 
way — each  one  occupying  his  appointed  sphere  till  Jesus  comes, 
and  thus  labouring  together  we  shall  assuredly  be  able  to  sing 


128 


Medical  Missions. 


Dr.  David 

Y<  >1  KG, 


Blessing. 


that  sweet  song  of  Zion — "God,  even  our  own  God,  shall  bless 
us.  God  shall  bless  us ;  and  all  the  ends  of  the  earth  shall  fear 
Him." 

With  this  season  of  blessing  will  come  the  occasion  for  that 
other  glorious  outburst  of  Jewish  hymn — 

' '  When  Zion's  bondage  God  turned  back, 
As  men  that  dreamed  were  we, 
Then  rilled  with  laughter  was  our  mouth, 
Our  tongue  with  melody. 

' '  They,  'mong  the  heathen,  said  the  Lord, 
Great  things  for  them  hath  wrought ; 
The  Lord  hath  done  great  things  for  us, 
Whence  joy  to  us  is  brought." 

After  prayer  by  the  Rev.  John  Wilkinson,  the  closing  address 
was  given  on 


Dr.  J.  L. 
Maxwell. 


A  Medical 
Mission  in 
heathendom 
asks  four 
things. 


China  alone 

supplies 

the  four 

Medical 

mission 

requisites. 


MEDICAL    MISSIONS    IN    CHINA. 

By  Dr.  J.  L.  Maxwell. 

Dear  Christian  Friends, — Both  yesterday  and  to-day  you  have 
had  something  concerning  mission  work  in  China.  There  is  how- 
ever one  peculiarity  of  work  in  China  that  has  not  yet  been  touched 
upon.  It  is  this,  that  of  all  the  mission-fields  in  heathendom  it 
presents  the  greatest  advantages  for  Medical  Missions.  We  Medical 
Missionaries  desire  to  have  full  scope  for  our  work  as  servants  of 
Christ,  and  amongst  the  heathen  Ave  want  four  things.  First,  we 
want  a  populous  centre  in  which  Ave  can  at  all  times  secure  a 
sufficient  number  of  patients;  second,  Ave  want  a  people  amongst 
whom  we  can  freely  mingle,  and  a  people  who  are  not  hindered 
by  difficulties  of  caste  and  such  things  from  mingling  freely  with 
one  another ;  third,  we  want  a  people  among  whom  surgical  and 
medical  science  is  at  so  low  an  ebb  that  they  are  willing  to 
avail  themselves  of  our  science  and  skill;  and  lastly,  Ave  Avant 
a  people,  not  only  Avilling  to  avail  themselves  of  our  kindness, 
but  ready  also  to  sustain  themselves  the  hospital  at  their  oavii 
charges. 

Now  only  in  China  is  this  combination  of  desirable  requisites 
to  bo  found.  In  Africa,  for  instance,  we  have  not  the  huge 
aggregations  of  people  we  have  in  China.     In  India  they  have 


Medical  Missions  in  China.  129 

cities  large  enough,  but  the  people  in  them  are  hampered  by  caste  Dr.  j.  l. 

jiii-  P  •  T  Maxwell. 

and  the  seclusion  of  women.  And  m  all  heathen  countries  I 
know  of,  except  China,  you  will  find  some  difficulty  in  gathering- 
large  numbers  of  people  together  in  the  hospitals  without  the 
Mission  being  called  upon  to  pay  for  their  support. 

The  typical  picture  of  a  Medical  Mission  in  China  shows  you  Typical 

.  .  picture  of 

a  great  city,  with  many  outlying  villages;    it  shows  you,  some-  *! Medical 
where  in  the  heart  of  that  city,  the  mission  hospital,  with  its  China, 
consulting -room  and  dispensary  for  out-patients,   and  its  wards 
for  in-patients,  the  latter  crowded  with  men  and  women,   who 
have  come  in  to  be  treated,  and  who  are  supporting  themselves 
at  their  own  charges. 

Still  better,  it  shows  you  these  people,  whether  you  speak  of 
out-patients  or  of  in-patients,  listening  willingly  to  the  Word  of 
Life ;  and,  best  of  all,  it  shows  too,  as  I  will  prove  presently, 
that  the  words  they  hear  are  falling  on  by  no  means  an  unfruitful 
field. 

Practically  this  mission  work  be^an  in  China  in  the  year  1835,  Beginning 

•-■i-.  c  •     •  p  -r^      -r,  of  Medical 

with  the  advent  of  a  missionary  from  America,  Dr.  Peter  Parker.  Missions  in 
He  was  followed  by  others — medical  missionaries  from  England. 
In  1863  only  about  six  medical  missionaries  were  to  be  found  in 
China ;  now  there  are  about  thirty  medical  missionaries  from  this 
country,  and  our  brethren  from  the  United  States  number  perhaps 
twenty  more.  Including  ladies,  we  have  between  fifty  and  sixty 
fully-qualified  medical  labourers  in  China,  and  these  medical 
missionaries  have  under  their  charge  at  least  thirty  hospitals, 
scattered  about  in  the  various  provinces.     Thus  in  the  province  of  Number  of 

Mission 

Canton  there  are  six :  in  Fuh-kien,  five ;  in  Formosa,  two  ;  in  Hospitals  in 

China. 

Shan-tung,  four;  and  so  on.     But  there  are  six  provinces  where 

there  is  no  single  medical  missionary  or  hospital.      I  mention 

hospitals  particularly ;  for  all  medical  missionaries  agree  that  it  is 

the  hospitals  that  tell  most  powerfully.    It  is  from  those  who  have  Advantages 

come  into  these  hospitals,  and  remained  there  under  Christian  over  dispen- 
sary work. 

care,  we  find  the  richest  outcome  in  the  interest  of  the  gospel  that 
Medical  Missions  produce.  Some  15,000  patients,  men  and 
women,  enter  these  hospitals  every  year,  coming  under  daily  care, 
daily  kindly  treatment,  daily  Christian  teaching,  for  weeks  together. 
At  the  dispensaries  between  200,000  and  300,000  patients  are  Dispensary 
dealt  with  annually,  and  there  must  be  many  among  this  vast 
number  who  carry  away  the  good  seed ;  but  that  is  not  seen  at 
once,  as  in  the  hospitals. 

K 


130  Medical  Missions. 

Dr.   .  l.  Now  there  are  two  questions  which  I  would  just  touch  upon 

this  afternoon — What  are  the  results  obtained  by  Medical  Missions 

important,    hi  China  during  the  past  fifty  years?    and  with  regard  to   the 

questions.     futurej  \yjiat  is  the  scope  and  duty  of  the  Church  in  relation  to 

!•         Medical  Mission  work  in  China1?     In  regard  to  results  there  are 

What  have 

been  the  some  which  prepare  the  way  of  the  gospel,  and  others  which 
Medical  relate  more  directly  to  the  planting  the  good  seed  in  individual 
hitherto?      hearts  to  the  extension  of  the  Church. 

1.  They  pre-      With  regard  to  preparatory  work  there  is  one  evidence  of  the 

way  ofW    influence  of  Medical  Missions  which  is  universally  acknowledged  ; 

ospe '        that  is,  the  mitigating  influence  exercised  upon  the  prejudice  felt  by 

the  Chinese  against  doctrines  proceeding  from  the  lips  of  Western 

(a).  By  mita- men.      This  prejudice  is  partly  caused  by  pride  of   race,  partly 

judice.         by  the  self-conceit  of  superior  knowledge  which  they  entertain  ; 

but  also  by  a  just  and  proper  resentment  against  a  people  who 

have  forced  themselves  upon  them  on  the  back  of  opium  wars. 

We  must  not  forget  what  we  have  done  to  them ;  and  in  view  of 

this  prejudice  it  becomes  us  to  soften  to  the  utmost  the  effects  of 

the  wickedness  and  cruelty  of  our  opium  traffic.     That  we  can  do. 

We  are  certainly  on  the  right  line  in  this  respect  when  we  do 

what  we  can  to  relieve  sickness  and  pain  amongst  them,  and  in 

connection  with  this  healing  labour  present  to  them  the  gospel 

of  Jesus  Christ.     Now  this  is  one  result  of  our  work — an  influence 

felt  alike  by  high  and  low. 

Among  Many  of  you  have  heard  of  the  Imperial  Viceroy,   Li  Hung 

Mandarins.  ,        ,  .    ,     ,  , .      ,         .     .  ,  .  .      , 

Chung,  who  has  appointed  a  medical  missionary  as  his  private 
physician,  imposing  no  restriction  on  his  preaching  the  gospel,  and 
putting  the  whole  of  the  Government  students  under  his  charge  to 
be  taught  the  science  of  medicine.  The  chairman  could  have  told 
you  about  a  patient  in  high  office  whom  he  was  called  to  treat,  how 
successful  the  treatment  proved,  and  how  his  grateful  patient,  in 
spite  of  the  opposition  of  other  officers,  assisted  in  providing  him 
Examples,  with  an  excellent  site  for  a  Medical  Mission  Hospital.  I  myself 
remember  a  patient,  the  wife  of  a.  mandarin  in  Formosa,  who  was 
treated  and  cured.  The  mandarin  himself  not  only  gave  a 
handsome  donation  to  the  hospital  funds,  but  when  leaving 
Taiwanfoo  he  gave  a  pressing  invitation  to  myself  and  colleague  to 
visit  the  part  of  Formosa  in  winch  lie  was  about  to  take  office. 
Some  years  later  that  mandarin  was  transferred  to  a  district  where 
another  colleague  of  mine  was  in  some  danger  through  a  persecution 
which    arose   in    the  locality.     The  mandarin,    remembering  the 


Medical  Missions  in  China.  131 

kindness  shown  to  his  wife,  paid  a  public  visit  to  the  missionary  at  Dr.  J.  l. 

.  .  Maxwell. 

the  little  Christian  chapel,  and  took  steps  which  resulted  in  the 
safety  of  my  friend,  and  of  the  native  Christians.  I  say  these 
things  to  show  you  there  is  no  lack  of  gratitude  amongst  them  for 
kindness  shown,  and  to  prove  that  the  efforts  of  medical 
missionaries  have  had  considerable  effect  in  softening  their 
opposition.  Many  of  them  are  very  grateful  not  only  for  what 
we  have  done  for  themselves  or  relatives,  but  also  for  what  we 
are  doing  among  the  people.  There  is  hardly  a  centre  of  such 
work  where  the  medical  missionary  has  not  access  as  a  healer  to 
the  chief  magistrate's  office,  and  many  of  them  contribute  very 
fairly  to  the  support  of  the  Medical  Mission  in  their  own  quarter. 
I  speak  only  of  these  things  as  opening  the  door,  and  preparing 
the  way  for  the  preaching  of  the  gospel. 

Then  amongst  the  missionaries  themselves  it  is  an  undisputed  ^edCo™"fn 
fact,  that  wherever  a  Medical  Mission  has  existed  in  China  for  people, 
any  time  there  the  way  has  been  made  much  more  ready  for  the 
evangelist.  The  patients  go  home  and  tell  their  neighbours  and 
friends  of  the  kindness  received,  and  so  the  way  is  prepared  for 
the  evangelist,  who  gets  a  willing  audience,  and  is  not  exposed  to 
the  insults  and  dangers  he  was  formerly  very  likely  to  meet. 

Another  influence  is  this.     We  have  heard  from  Miss  Eicketts  (6).  By  their 

action  in 

of  such  cruel  customs  as  female  infanticide.    I  am  perfectly  certain  removing 

"  evil  customs 

of  this,  that  through  the  teaching  of  our  missions,  by  the  daily 
exhibition  amongst  them  of  Christian  family  life,  and  by  the 
working  of  the  Spirit  of  Christ  in  our  hospitals,  a  decided 
influence  is  being  produced  upon  this  evil  custom,  and  a  senti- 
ment is  growing  among  the  Chinese  against  it,  a  sentiment  which 
will  no  doubt  in  time  put  an  end  to  many  cruel  practices. 
Infanticide  is  only  one  among  many  customs  which  are  terribly 
hindering  to  the  gospel,  brutalizing  the  conscience,  and  fostering 
and  helping  the  materalism  so  characteristic  of  the  Chinese.  If 
by  gentle  and  kindly  work  day  by  day  we  can  do  anything  to 
soften  and  remove  this  kind  of  thing  we  are  doing  much  for  the 
gospel's  progress. 

But  I  admit  that,   however  important  all  this  is,   it   is   only  ^^j™1 
preparatory   work.       What    about   direct   work   in   the   way   of  ^ °*1;£  tl 
spreading  the  gospel  1     If  we  could  not  speak  of  souls  for  Christ  Gospel. 
gathered  through  Medical  Missions  in  China,  I  for  one  should  see 
no  urgent  need  for  our  work  there.     I  believe,  however,  the  Lord 
does  and  will  give  conversions  by  Medical  Missions   faithfully 

k  2 


182 


Medical  Missions. 


Dr.  J.  L. 
Maxwell. 

(a).  By  con- 
version of 
souls  in 
hospital. 

e.g.  at  Monk- 
den. 

AtTien-tsin. 


At  Hang- 
chow. 


At  Swatow. 


(6).  By 

hastening 
and  direct- 
ing lines  of 
further 
extension. 


Spiritual 
fruits  in 
hospital, 
apart  from 
physical 
relief. 


e.;/.  in  lepers 


(c).  By  the 

training  of 
native 
Medical 
Missionaries 


conducted.  Indeed,  we  have  not  to  speak  of  one  or  two  souls, 
but  of  large  numbers  thus  gathered  in.  Wherever  a  Medical 
Mission  has  been  faithfully  wrought  there  is  blessing.  You  go  to 
the  far  north,  and  you  find  in  the  capital  of  Manchuria  that  Dr. 
Christie  can  speak  of  twenty-five  souls,  the  direct  fruit  of  his 
labour  during  the  first  three  years  of  his  hospital  work  there. 
You  come  south,  and  at  Tien-tsin  we  have  Dr.  Mc  Kenzie  writing, 
a  few  months  ago,  "  These  last  three  Sundays  we  have  had 
baptisms  in  the  hospital,  and  another  of  the  students  has  joined 
our  praying  band."  At  Hang-chow  Dr.  Muir  and  his  wife,  of  the 
Church  Missionary  Society,  speak  of  men  and  women  gathered  in 
under  hospital  teachings ;  and  wherever  you  go  amongst  Medical 
Missions  the  same  thing  is  going  on. 

The  Swatow  Mission  reports  tell  us  that  sometimes  a  third,  once 
as  many  even  as  one  half,  of  the  converts  for  the  year,  in  a  wide 
mission-field,  have  been  due  to  the  Medical  Mission. 

Further,  Medical  Missions  in  China  are  directly  advantageous  to 
the  spread  of  the  gospel  in  the  way  in  which  they  govern  to  a 
large  extent  the  direction  and  lines  in  which  mission  work  spreads. 
Thus  in  South  China,  in  Formosa,  Amoy,  and  Swatow,  the 
direction  and  extension  of  the  work  has  been  largely  due  to  the 
influence  exercised  by  individual  patients  converted  in  the 
hospitals.  I  may  say  also  that  this  influence  is  not  always,  as 
you  might  naturally  expect,  the  result  of  striking  surgical 
operations.  We  would  naturally  expect  that  patients  operated 
on  in  a  striking  way  would  be  most  grateful.  But  many  of  these 
people  who  have  helped  to  spread  the  gospel  have  received  little 
or  no  physical  benefit  at  all — lepers,  for  instance,  whose  pain  we 
may  have  been  able  to  relieve  a  little,  but  for  whom  we  have 
really  done  nothing  in  the  way  of  cure.  In  the  Swatow  Mission 
much  has  been  done  by  converted  lepers,  who  have  returned  to 
their  homes  uncured,  but  full  of  love  to  Christ,  and  have  set 
to  work  to  speak  of  Him ;  so  also  in  such  simple  cases  as  ulcers. 
When  I  went  back  to  China  in  1883  I  met  an  elderly  man  who 
had  heard  the  truth  and  received  il,  in  I  lie  Medical  Mission 
Hospital  twenty  years  before,  who  soon  after  his  conversion  was 
the  means  of  planting  a  station  in  the  town  from  which  lie  came, 
and  who  since  that  time  had  been  busy  at  gospel  work. 

Then  another  direct  result  of  Medical  Mission  work  is,  thai  i\ 
enables  the  missionaries  to  take  hold  of  native  students,  and 
train  them  for  similar  work.      This  is  gradually  growing.      In 


Medical  Missions  in  China.  133 

Swatow  the  present  holder  of  the  Medical  Mission  post  has  this  Dr.  J.  l. 

.  Maxwell. 

year  seven  students  under  him.  Dr.  McKenzie,  of  Tien-tsm,  has 
sixteen  Government  students  under  him,  not  a  few  of  whom  have 
been  converted.  Dr.  Grant,  of  Chin-chow,  has  six;  and  Dr. 
Main,  of  Hang-chow,  fourteen.  You  see,  we  are  in  this  Avay 
influencing  a  large  number  of  native  students,  who  are  for  the 
most  part  members  of  Christian  churches,  and  Avho  are  all  pursuing 
their  studies  under  Christian  influence,  and  who  will  ultimately 
spread  themselves  throughout  the  country ;  and  it  may  please  the 
Lord  to  use  them  in  a  similar  way. 

Now,  in  regard  to  the  future,  I  cannot  speak  of  the  scope  of  \y}iatistobe 
this  work  without  appearing  to  speak  extravagantly.     There  are  ^p^of6 
1,400  large  cities  in  China,  and  there  is  room  for  1,400  Medical  Minions  in 
Missionaries.     Each  city  would  form,  with  its  hospital,  an  admir-  Chica? 
able  centre.     Of  course,  it  might  be  difficult  at  first  to  get  into 
some  of  these  cities ;  but  having  succeeded  in  getting  in,  there 
would  be  plenty  of  the  best  of  work.     Perhaps  you  say,  "  How  is 
the  expense  connected  with  such  an  array  of  labourers  to  be  met  1" 
And  I  am  quite  willing  to  admit  the  necessity  of  considering  the 
question.    But,  putting  aside  for  the  moment  the  labourer  himself, 
there  is  no  real  difficulty.     I  had  my  first  hospital,  for  only  eight  j^cc^unt7 
patients,  in  a  crowded  street,  at  a  rental  of  £14  per  annum.  Later  ot  j^P**8,1 
on,  in  another  city,  I  had  an  hospital  for  forty  patients,  at  a  rental 
of  £14.     And  Dr.  Grant's  present  hospital  in  Chin-chow  he  holds 
at  a  rental  of  £9.     I  believe  that  it  will  be  found  in  all  the  great 
cities  that  adaptable  houses  are  obtainable  at  low  rents.     All  over 
China  there  is  no  great  difficulty  as  to  the  question  of  a  build- 
ing.     Then,  in  regard  to  medicine,   I  have  had  some  experience  ^1c!'[l1,,'1')1l1(,y 
of  what  is  required  in  China,  and  I  am  prepared  to  say,  that  if  °f  ^™?®e 
either  societies  or  private  individuals  are  prepared  to  lay  aside 
£50  a  year  for  medicine,  no  medical  missionary  would  grumble. 
Then,  as  to  native  assistants,  who  are  certainly  required,  about  No  difficulty 

on  account 

£14  a  year  will  suffice  for  the  helper  in  direct  and  responsible  of  expensive 
charge  of  the  hospital  and  dispensary ;  whilst  the  students,  as  in 
Dr.   Grant's  (of  Chin-chow)  place,   serve  the  medical  missionary 
four  years  without  payment,  he  on  his  part  teaching  them  all  they 
need  to  know  of  medical  and  surgical  science.     In  that  way  the 
expense  connected  with  assistants  is  very  slight.  The  real  question  aitiieiVit  >-  is 
comes  to  this,  Can  we  get  the  medical  missionaries  and  the  means  Medical e 
to  support  them  1     Now  I  admit  there  is  only  one  quarter  to  look  anTprov'ide 
to  in  order  to  meet  this  difficulty,  and  that  is  to  the  Lord  Himself.  ^"'OTt 


134 


Medical  Missions. 


Dr.  J.  L. 
Maxwell. 


Need  of 
prayer. 


It  is  not  a  question  for  societies ;  they  cannot  do  it.  But  one 
great  result  of  this  Conference  will  be,  I  trust,  to  lead  us  all  to 
pray  more  in  our  closets  and  homes  for  the  heathen,  for  the  out- 
pouring of  God's  Holy  Spirit  upon  all  kinds  of  labourers ;  and 
that  He  may  thrust  forth  a  multitude  of  men  and  women  fitted 
for  the  work. 

"We  hear,  in  London  and  elsewhere,  that  we  have  an  overplus 
of  medical  students  coming  forward  in  the  profession.  If  God 
were  pleased  to  send  forth  His  Spirit,  and  convert  and  fill  them 
with  the  needed  desire,  what  an  army  Ave  should  have  ready  to 
proceed  to  the  mission-field  in  foreign  lands !  And  as  to  the 
means,  God  can  easily  provide  these.  Let  us  bring  it  to  the 
Lord  in  our  homes  and  our  Christian  gatherings ;  and  let  us 
especially  ask  Him  to  provide  for  this  great  need  of  more  men. 


HEATHEN   LANDS:    AFRICA. 

Wednesday  Evening,  October  6th,  1886. 


The  claims  of  heathen  lands  came  more  directly  to  be  considered 
on  this  evening.     After  the  singing  of  hymn  No.  37 — 

"Thou,  whose  almighty  word 
Chaos  and  darkness  heard," 

Lord  Cavan  presented  prayer,  and  the  Chairman  gave  the 
following  comprehensive  survey  of 

THE    GREAT    DARK    CONTINENT. 

By  Mr.  H.  Grattan  Guinness. 

The  portion  of  the  missionary  field  which  I  have  to  consider  this  g^*™ 
evening  is  the  continent  of  Africa.  We  know  more  or  less  what 
the  extent  of  Europe  is ;  but  the  continent  of  Africa  is  three  times  a  vast  land, 
the  size  of  Europe,  and  embraces  or  contains  an  area  of  some 
twelve  millions  of  square  miles.  It  is  by  no  means  easy  to  form 
any  adequate  or  just  conception  of  the  extent  of  this  vast  country 
and  its  population.  The  mind  needs  to  dwell  upon  details,  to 
give  itself  time  for  reflection,  to  allow  the  facts  to  make  their  own 
natural  and  deep  impression  with  reference  to  the  country  and  its 
people;  and  after  prolonged  reflection  light  will  dawn  on  the 
subject,  new  aspects  will  present  themselves,  and  the  mind  will  be 
prepared  to  consider  justly,  and  wisely,  and  soberly,  the  needs 
and  claims  of  the  enormous  population  concerned. 

In  order  to  help  the  meeting  to  realize  what  this  country  is,  and 
what  its  people  are,  I  shall  be  compelled  to  give  you  facts ;  but  I 
shall  try  to  put  them  as  briefly  as  I  can,  and  in  as  condensed  a 
form  as  possible. 

In  the  first  place,  as  regards  the  area,  the  country  is  from  west  Africa's 

1  '  D  '  J  extent. 

to  east  four  thousand  six  hundred  miles  in  length,  and  from  north 


130 


Heathen  Lands:   Africa. 


h.  grattan  to  south 

GUINNESB. 


Populations 
of  Africa. 


Roe 

languages. 


The 

religions. 


Mission 
stations. 


five  thousand  miles.  You  say  roughly  five  thousand 
miles  each  way,  and  it  is  easy  to  remember.  In  Africa  it  is  not 
easy  to  travel.  In  that  largely  tropical  country,  more  so  than  any 
other  country  in  the  world,  it  is  difficult  to  do  more  than  about 
ten  miles  a  day.  Travelling  at  that  rate  through  Africa,  from 
north  to  south,  it  would  take  live  hundred  days  to  make  the 
journey,  and  the  same  from  east  to  Avest ;  and  to  travel  round  the 
coast  line  at  that  rate  would  occupy  from  four  to  five  years,  for 
the  coast  line  is  no  less  than  sixteen  thousand  miles.  A  word  as 
to  its  general  geographical  features.  It  is  a  great  country,  with 
great  mountains,  great  deserts,  great  rivers,  great  lakes,  great  plains, 
and  an  enormous  population.  Great  mountains,  great  deserts  ;  one 
of  its  deserts  alone  is  three  times  the  size  of  the  Mediterranean, 
and  ten  times  the  size  of  Germany.  Great  rivers,  among  the 
longest  in  the  world ;  one  of  its  rivers  more  than  two  thousand 
miles  in  length.  Great  lakes — the  Victoria  Nyanza,  and  others — 
and  great  plains. 

As  regards  the  population,  to  condense  the  facts  as  far  as 
possible,  up  in  the  north  Hamite  and  Semite:  the  Semitic  races, 
Arabic ;  and  the  Hamitic,  Egyptian,  and  Berber.  Across  the 
Soudan,  nearly  five  thousand  miles  from  the  Atlantic  to  the 
Indian  Ocean,  or  from  Cape  de  Verd  to  Cape  Guardafui  across 
the  Soudan,  a  vast  negro  population  unnumbered,  and  almost 
unexplored.  In  the  south,  from  six  degrees  north  of  the  equator 
down  to  Cape  Colony,  the  great  Bantu  races. 

The  languages  spoken  in  Africa  are  over  six  hundred  in  number, 
and  the  word  of  God  has  only  been  translated  into  a  very  few  of 
them.  Six  hundred  languages ;  and  indeed  only  a  very  few  of  them 
have  even  been  reduced  to  a  written  form.  As  to  religions  they  are 
mainly  two — the  religion  of  the  false  prophet  Mohammedanism, 
and  Heathenism.  Hard,  bitter,  destructive  fatalism  prevails  over 
the  northern  regions.  In  the  centre  and  the  south,  among  the 
vast  populations,  negro,  Bantu,  and  so  on,  heathenism — and 
heathenism  in  its  lowest  form — fetishism,  the  worship  of  almost 
any  object  invested  with  supposed  superstitious  powers,  including 
even  snakes— that  is  the  religion  of  central  Africa.  Heathenism 
with  all  its  dark  accompaniments;  and  here  ami  there,  as  lonely, 
twinkling  lights,  little  glimmering  tapers  amid  universal  darkness 
along  the  coast  line — not  all  round,  but  at  certain  points,  few  and 
far  between — along  that  sixteen  thousand  miles  of  coast  there  are 
missionary  stations  representing  the  religion  of  Jesu    Christ,  the 


The  Great  Dark  Continent.  137 

religion  of  the  Bible,  the  religion  that  we  profess  to  believe,  and  h.  Grattan 

£>  '  °  l  .      Guinness. 

are  charged  to  spread  over  the  whole  world,  confined  to  certain 
spots  on  the  coast,  with  a  very  faint  glimmer  commencing  in  the 
interior.  The  vast  mass  of  the  continent  is  in  unrelieved  dark- 
ness, the  darkness  of  Mohammedanism  and  heathenism. 

Now  we  must  come  to  particular  facts.  What  of  the  coun-^^eof 
tries?  What  of  their  condition1?  Here  are  the  Barbary  States, 
Egypt  with  a  mighty  past,  Abyssinia,  the  Gallas  country,  the 
Somali,  the  Great  Lakes,  Zanzibar,  Cape  Colony,  Zululand,  the 
mighty  Congo,  the  great  West  Coast  with  its  2000  miles,  the 
Soudan,  the  Sahara.  Glancing  first  at  the  Barbary  States,  Morocco, 
Algiers,  Tunis,  Tripoli,  to  the  borders  of  Egypt — four  States — 
their  population  is  easy  to  remember — 6,000,000,  3,000,000,  AMca?m 
2,000,000,  1,000,000,  that  is  12,000,000  in  all;  but  that  is  a  low 
estimate.  Mr.  Glenny  put  it  at  16,000,000.  He  may  be  right. 
That  of  course  includes  the  scattered  tribes  of  the  Sahara,  but  I 
have  spoken  well  within  the  mark.  We  may  take  it  then  as 
12,000,000.  Egypt's  population  may  be  stated  as  12,000,000; 
Upper  Egypt  6,000,000,  and  Southern  Egypt  6,000,000,  that  is 
12,000,000,  though  it  is  sometimes  estimated  as  high  as  16,000,000. 
Abyssinia  3,000,000,  Central  Africa,  around  lake  Tchad,  the  g^1 
various  tribes  or  nations  make  a  population  of  31,000,000  to 
32,000,000.  Senegambia,  Liberia,  the  Gold  Coast,  the  Ivory  Coast, 
Ashanti,  Dahomey,  the  Cameroons,  all  with  large  populations. 
We  hear  of  the  new  region  opened  up  by  the  exploration  of 
Congo.  That  region  is  as  large  as  the  United  States  this  side 
the  Eocky  Mountains,  with  a  population  of  about  40,000,000. 
We  have  in  the  south  also  Cape  Colony  and  Natal,  &c.  Eoughly 
speaking  then  in  the  northern  half  of  Africa  there  are  100,000,000, 
and  in  Central  and  Southern  Africa  another  100,000,000,  altogether 
a  population  of  200,000,000. 

Now  as  regards  their  social,  moral,  and  religious  condition  a  Semi- 

°  °  _         civilized 

few  sentences  must  suffice.  The  north  and  centre  are  fairly  and  savage. 
civilized  as  far  as  the  middle  of  the  Soudan.  Bornu,  near  lake 
Tchad,  is  a  civilized  kingdom  for  negroes.  But  throughout  the 
whole  of  Africa  there  is  slavery;  one  half  of  the  people  in  that 
country  are  the  slaves  of  the  other  half.  Throughout  many  parts 
there  are  the  most  sanguinary  practices,  including  often  human 
sacrifices  and  cannibalism. 

As  regards  missionary  effort  to  enlighten  these  people  with  the  Scattered 
light  of  truth,  and  love  of  holiness,  and  hope,  to  give  them  the 


138 


Heathen  Lands:   Africa. 


H.  Grattan  light   of  life 
Guinness 


On  the 

Niger. 


Difficulties 
with  the 
French. 


The  lake 
region. 


The  needy 
States. 


what  are  they  3  What  has  the  church  of  Christ 
done  thus  far  to  illuminate  this  vast  dark  continent?  First  of 
all,  along  the  coast  line  at  certain  spots,  there  are  missions  in 
Senegambia,  Liberia,  Ashantee,  the  Cameroons,  and  the  Niger, 
but  these  missions  do  not  pass  the  Kong  Mountains,  they  do  not 
penetrate  into  the  true  interior  of  Western  Africa. 

The  missions  on  the  Niger  Kiver  are  deeply  interesting,  but  they 
are  very,  very  few.  That  Niger  is  a  vast  river,  forming  a  grand 
western  waterway  to  the  Soudan  on  the  upper  part  of  the  river. 
Its  enormous  populations  are  wholly  unevangelised.  I  want  to 
impress  this  upon  your  minds,  the  fact  that  there  is  not  one 
solitary  missionary  here  for  hundreds,  nay,  thousands  of  miles 
right  across  the  vast  continent — not  a  witness  of  God  and  His 
Christ.  On  the  Ogowe,  south  of  the  Niger,  the  spread  of  the 
gospel  has  been  well-nigh  stopped  by  the  closing  of  schools  and 
other  agencies  by  the  French,  who  are  doing  all  the  harm  they 
can  to  Foreign  Missions  in  Madagascar  and  other  parts  of  the 
world. 

Glancing  towards  the  central  region  of  the  great  continent  we 
see  a  feeble  light  amid  the  darkness.  There  in  the  heart  of  the 
lake  region,  on  Tanganika  itself,  an  enterprise  has  arisen  that 
bids  fair  to  have  a  glorious  future.  A  station  of  that  grand 
work — the  London  Missionary  Society — is  planted  here,  and 
Captain  Hore  and  his  colleagues  are  spreading  the  good  news. 

The  mission  is  new ;  all  such  work  is  new ;  in  fact,  the  great 
lake  region  itself  has  only  been  discovered  since  the  time  of 
Livingstone. 

There  is  only  a  small  population  near  this  mission  of  about  two 
and  a  half  millions.  The  people  belong  to  the  great  Bantu  race, 
which  extends  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Indian  Ocean.  There 
is  also  a  broken  line  of  mission  stations  in  the  north.  Some  are 
working  in  the  east  of  the  continent  in  Abyssinia,  and  some  at 
the  north-western  line  in  Kabylia,  where  the  truth  has  been 
gradually  making  its  way  for  the  last  live  years. 

Now  as  regards  the  most  needy  spheres  that  remain.  Take  the 
Barbary  States.  Morocco,  with  its  6,000,000,  has  about  two 
mission  stations,  which  have  been  started  within  the  last  four 
years.  Algiers,  Tunis,  and  Tripoli  have  only  a  few  stations  about 
five  years  old.  Let  me  say  a  few  words  about  the  opening  there. 
This  wonderful  region,  at  the  foot  of  the  Atlas  mountains,  is 
within  four  days' journey  of  us.      1  have  been  there,  and  felt  the 


TJie  Great  Dark  Continent.  139 

healthy  breezes  blowing  pure  and  fresh  from  the  Mediterranean  h.  Grattan 

i  ,    ,         ,    „     '  ,  7  .    .,.      -Guinness. 

upon    these    lofty   hills.      For    the    most    part,    under    civilized 

governments,    the   people   are    accessible   and   friendly   in    their 

disposition,  and  yet  they  are  so  neglected !     No  man  cares  for 

their  souls.     I  thank  God  for  the  workers  there,  and  for  the  true 

spirit  that  they  show.     But  how  few  they  are !     The  tidings  we 

get  from  them  are  full  of  hope.     It  is  most  encouraging  to  find 

the  people's  hearts  opening,  to  hear  of  how  they  crowd  round  our 

brethren  and  sisters  to  be  taught,  earnestly  desiring  to  hear  the 

gospel.     "What  a  country  for  you  and  for  me  !     What  a  country 

for  self-sustaining  missions,  and  for  Christian  gentlemen  and  ladies 

who  can  go  and  support  themselves  !      Two  ladies  in  Kabylia,  ^aci0ladies 

for  example,  can  find  perfectly  easy  and  safe  access  to  the  houses 

and  women,  such  as  would  be  denied  to  men.     Christian  ladies  of 

intelligence,   with  earnest,    gentle   spirits,  have  a  field  open   to 

them  here  that  no  man  can  work.     How  many  such  there  are 

here    to-night !     What  are  you  going  to  do  1     Does  your  work 

elsewhere  so  tie  you,  so  demand  and  necessitate  your  presence, 

that   you   cannot   go   to   these   people    and    live    among    them1? 

Millions  are  there  living  and  dying  without  the  gospel.     Why 

not  go  and   help  the   Kabylia  mission  1      We  turn   to   Tripoli. 

Here  there  is  actually  no  missionary  to  the  native  population, 

and  the  Kabylia  mission  cannot  send  any ;  and  so  it  stands  to-day, 

a  whole  country,  within  five  days  of  London,  without  a  single 

messenger  of  Christ. 

Then  as  regards  the  Soudan.  My  friends,  if  you  will  only  look  The  Soudan. 
at  the  facts  as  to  the  moral  and  spiritual  condition  of  the  Soudan 
and  its  population,  you  will  find  millions  and  millions  over  all 
that  broad  extent  of  central  Africa  unreached,  unevangelized. 
How  these  facts  should  lead  us  to  pray  and  work  for  its 
enlightenment !  We  have  sent  our  soldiers  to  the  Soudan  to 
fight.  We  were  not  content  with  this.  We  have  sent  them  to 
fight  in  Ashantee,  in  Zululand,  in  Kaffreland,  in  Abyssinia,  and 
in  Egypt.  We  have  slaughtered  tens  of  thousands  of  these 
Kaffres,  and  Egyptians,  and  Zulus;  but  missionaries  to  enlighten 
and  save  these  African  peoples  we  have  not  sent,  save  in  a  mere 
handful  here  and  there,  mostly  along  the  coast-line.  We  have 
left  the  great  mass  of  them  to  live  and  die  in  heathen  darkness. 

In  the  vast  Bantu  region  of  Central  Africa  all  the  languages  The  Bantu 

region. 

are  analogous.     I  have  had  occasion  to  study  some  of  them,  and 
I  have  their  grammars  lying  on  this  table.    The  northern  stretches 


140  Heathen  Lands:   Africa. 

GuinnessAN  °^  ^e  -^antu'  roun(i  tne  Congo  basin,  were  only  opened  yesterday, 
as  it  were.  Nine  yeairs  ago  nobody  knew  anything  about  them ; 
eight  years  ago  the  first  mission  was  founded;  and  now  never 
a  month  passes  without  some  new  geographical  discovery  being 
made  in  that  country.  Yet  to-day  it  is  not  half  explored.  Great 
rivers,  thousands  of  miles  in  length,  have  been  discovered,  yet 
European  travellers  keep  on  finding  fresh,  mighty  waterways 
leading  to  the  centre  of  that  vast  region.  It  used  to  be  thought 
that  the  centre  of  Africa  was  a  desert  like  the  Sahara.  To-day 
we  know  it  to  be  a  magnificent  and  well-watered  plateau,  fertile, 
and  wonderfully  productive.  Much  of  it,  especially  to  the  south 
of  the  Congo,  is  still  unexplored.  I  believe  that  the  Congo  will 
prove  to  be  the  main  highway  to  the  Soudan,  or  at  least  one  of 
its  principal  entrances. 

In  the  current  number  of  the  periodical  called  Le  Moiwement 
Geographique  we  find  the  following  statement,  which  will  illustrate 
the  social  condition  of  masses  in  this  central  region : 

Significant        "  On  the  borders  of  the  Saukuru  .  .  .  the  villages  are  extremely 

19*  CIS, 

populous.  Explorers  have  met  with  towns  of  ten,  twelve,  and 
even  fifteen  thousand  souls.  Some  of  the  chiefs  can  call  out 
one  thousand  warriors.  Often  the  river  banks  were  black  with 
people. 

"When  Dr.  Wolf  arrived  at  Lukengo  the  old  king  had  just 
died,  and,  according  to  heathen  custom,  human  sacrifices  had  been 
made  at  his  grave.  No  less  than  one  thousand  women  and  slaves 
were  put  to  death  on  this  occasion." 
Duty  of  the  My  friends,  let  me  ask  you  now,  in  conclusion,  What  is,  what 
must  be,  in  the  very  nature  of  things,  the  duty  of  the  Christian 
Church  with  reference  to  the  people  of  Africa1?  To  whom  is  (lie 
gospel  entrusted,  if  not  to  the  Church  of  Christ1?  Who  has  the 
commission  to  go  into  all  the  world,  and  preach  it  to  every 
creature,  if  it  is  not  the  Church  of  Christ,  as  represented  by  her 
members'?  To  whom  is  the  enlightenment  of  this  continent 
committed,  if  it  is  not  committed  to  the  Church  of  Christ  'I 
Who  has  been  called  to  break  the  bonds  of  these  peoples,  to  bind 
up  their  wounds,  and  lead  them  out  of  darkness  into  light,  if  it  is 
not  the  Church  of  Christ?  Words  can  but  feebly  describe  Hie 
condition  of  Africa;  it  overwhelms  all  thought  and  utterance. 
What  is  (Mir  duty  with  reference  to  it?  They  lie  there  in  all 
their  darkness — north  and  south,  east  and  west.  We  know  that 
these  people  multiply  at  a  rati'  to  which  all  the  conversions  made 


Tlte  Great  Dark  Continent.  141 

as  yet  by  Christianity  are  as  nothing.     Suppose — to  put  it  at  the  rr.  grattan 

very  outside — that  there  are  in  the  south  two,  or  two  and  a  half 

millions  being  evangelized,   and   suppose  in  the  rest  of   Africa 

there  are  another  two  and  a  half  millions  whom  the  gospel  is 

reaching  slowly,  some  five  millions  would  be  under  its  influence. 

As  a  matter  of  fact,  there  is  nothing  of  the  sort.     But  suppose  it 

were  so,  195,000,000  are  left  untouched  !    At  what  rate  will  these  Mmi.ons 

'  '  '  passing 

pass  into  eternity  ?  In  thirty  or  thirty -three  years  the  whole  away- 
of  them  will  be  gone.  Death  is  busy.  But  still  heathenism 
is  increasing.  Taking  the  world  as  a  whole,  heathenism  at  present 
increases  seventy  times  faster  than  the  Christian  converts  are 
gathered  in  from  heathen  lands.  Christianity  is  spreading  too. 
During  the  last  century  there  have  been  about  three  million 
converts  from  heathenism.  But  heathenism  itself,  as  I  say,  is 
increasing  seventy  times  faster.  We  are  not  only  not  holding  our 
own,  but  we  are  actually  going  back.  Mohammedanism  is  on  the 
increase,  heathenism  is  on  the  increase.  What  is  to  be  done  1 
My  friends,  there  is  only  one  answer  to  this  question.  The 
Church  has  got  to  evangelize  the  world.     She  cannot  do  it  in  her  Present 

°  °  _  methods 

present  mind  and  temper.     By  present  methods  it   will   never  insufficient. 

be    accomplished.      A    miserable   handful,    representing    a    few 

societies,  will  never  achieve  this  great  work.     The  Church  must 

put  her  shoulders  to  the  wheel.     As  a  whole,  she  must  rise  and 

make  this  work  her  own.     You  must  make  it  yours,  I  must  make 

it   mine.     We   must   invent   new   methods.      The   matter   must 

be  pondered,  prayed  over,  wept  over.     There  must  be  sacrifice.  Prince1 

We   must   sacrifice    ourselves,    our   children,   and  our   substance  demanded. 

to  the  work.     It  is  a  question  of  the  redemption  of  the  world,  of 

the  salvation  of  the  world.     This  is  the  work  Christ  has  given  us 

to  accomplish,  and  nothing  less. 

Have  you  ever  yearned  over  the  world1?  "God  so  loved  the 
world  that  He  gave  His  only  begotten  Son."  You  talk  about 
your  hearts  being  in  harmony  with  His.  How  often  do  you  pray 
for  the  world,  and  ponder  over  the  means  for  its  evangelization  1 
Have  you  ever  come  up  to  the  level  of  duty  and  obedience  that 
says,  "Here  am  I,  send  me"1  Oh,  my  friends,  let  this  night,  by 
God's  help,  be  a  night  of  high  and  holy  resolve  !  Let  the  mind 
take  its  right  attitude,  and  the  heart  its  right  place.  Bring  the 
tithes  into  the  storehouse.  Consecrate  yourselves  to  the  Lord 
spirit,  soul,  and  body,  children,  substance,  energy,  time,  all;  and 
God  will  bless  you,  and  others  through  you. 


142  Heathen  Lands:  Africa. 

ii.  Grattan      But  now  be  practical.     Do  not  let  these  thoughts  evaporate, 

Guinness.  °  r  ' 

and  these  facts  he  forgotten;  let  them  remain  with  you.  You 
mresuiwur  nave  ^ear(1  them;  heed  them,  and  act  upon  them.  Let  them 
mould  thought  and  purpose.  "Hoav  much  owest  thou  to  thy 
Lord?"  What  hast  thou  ever  given  Him?  How  far  art  thou 
in  sympathy  with  Him  in  the  great  work  of  lifting  the  world  into 
the  light  ?     I  love  these  simple  lines — 

"  The  sons  of  ignorance  and  night 
May  dwell  in  the  eternal  light, 
Through  God's  eternal  love." 

What  are  you  doing  to  bring  the  sons  of  ignorance  and  night 
into  the  eternal  light  under  the  influence  and  power  of  the 
eternal  love  ?  Oh,  let  this  great  love  in  !  Then  the  eternal  light 
will  shine  out,  and  men  will  be  raised  from  their  darkness.  By 
the  grace  of  God  be  in  earnest  and  practical.  We  do  not  want 
any  of  you  to  act  under  mere  impulse.  I  would  remind  you  of 
that  word  of  counsel,  "Not  a  novice;"  and  that  other,  "Let 
these  also  first  be  proved."  But  with  these  precautions  let  the 
love  in  and  the  light  out,  that  the  banished  ones  may  be  brought 
back  to  God.  And  should  some,  or  indeed  many,  of  you  be  led 
to  go  into  these  thirsty  deserts  to  seek  these  wandering  sheep, 
what  a  privilege  ! 
News  from        Let  me  tell  you  the  last  news  from  the  Congo.     I  wanted  to 

the  Congo.  J  ° 

have  had  one  of  our  dear  Congo  natives  here  to-night,  but  he 
could  not  come.  He  is  in  Scotland  now,  and  though  I  telegraphed 
for  him,  he  has  been  detained  there.  I  meant  to  put  him  on  this 
platform  before  you,  that  you  might  see  he  has  got  hands,  and 
eyes,  and  feet  like  you.  He  has  a  face  the  same  as  you,  and  a 
heart  pretty  much  like  yours.  He  has  mind,  intelligence,  con- 
science, affections  just  as  we  have,  and  he  represents  to  us 
200,000,000  of  people  in  that  vast  continent  who  have  not  got 
what  we  have — the  gospel.  They  are  waiting  for  it.  You  have 
it  to  give.  Will  you  give  it?  But  now  what  is  the  last  news 
from  the  Congo?  My  friends,  the  efforts  that  tell,  whether  at 
home  or  abroad,  are  those  which  are  not  diffused,  but  concentrated 
and  sustained.  Hold  a  burning  lens  long  enough  beneath  the 
rays  of  the  sun,  and  it  will  make  its  mark.  That  Congo  mission 
is  a  lesson  to  us.  The  first  year  brought  forth  no  visible  results; 
1  lie  second  year  passed,  and  there  were  no  results;  the  third  year 
there  was  a  little  glimmering;  the  fourth  year,  one  or  two 
converts  were  made;  the  fifth  year  a  few  were  gathered  in;  and 


Africa's  Woes  and  Wants.  143 

now  in  the  seventh  year  what  are  the  last  tidings  1     At  one  of  h.  Grattan 
the  Congo  mission  stations  700  candidates  have  come  forward  for 
Christian  baptism.     The  people  are  flinging  away  the  gods  they  Seven 
used  to  worship.     They  are  gathering  for  prayer  and  the  study  of  candidates. 
the  word  of  God.     The  natives  themselves  are  preaching  Christ. 
Good  brother  Banks,  as  he  stood  in  my  house  the  other  day, 
confirmed  this  account,  and  enlarged  upon  it.     His  eye  lighted  up 
and  his  face  shone  as  I  said,  "And  you  believe  it  too1?" 

"Yes,  we  are  expecting  it  at  every  station,"  was  his  reply. 

Oh,  my  friends,  when  Central  Africa  begins  to  move  it  will  be 
like  the  moving  of  the  ocean ;  and  so  with  India  and  China. 
You  surely  must  want  to  have  a  part,  practical  and  personal,  in 
that  glorious  harvest-home?  May  God  direct  you  and  me,  and 
may  the  facts  brought  before  you  to-night  remain  in  your  hearts 
and  memories,  and  bring  forth  practical  fruit  for  years  to  come 
and  for  eternity. 


AFEICA'S    WOES    AND    WANTS. 

By  Me.  John  W.  Moir. 

(Of  the  African  Lakes  Company  Limited.) 

Dear  Christian  Friends, — We  have  had  a  wonderful  bird's-eye  Mr.  John  w. 

J      Mom. 

view  of  Africa  and  its  wants  to-night.  Now  I  come  before  you  as 
a  Christian  merchant,  who  has  lived  nine  years  in  Central  Africa, 
and  I  want  to  bring  before  you  a  little  bit  of  this  great  Africa. 
The  Lake  Nyassa  district,  where  I  have  lived,  is  almost  invisible  on  °n  Lake 

J  '  Nyassa. 

the  map ;  but  the  lake  itself  is  just  as  large  as  Scotland,  and  the 
district  in  which  our  company  works  is  nearly  one  thousand  miles 
long.  First  of  all  as  to  the  state  of  the  people.  The  great  out- 
standing thing  in  their  life  is  their  belief  in  witchcraft.     A  man  Belief  in 

°  _  witchcraft. 

dies,  it  matters  not  how — he  may  have  died  from  disease — he  has 
been  bewitched;  a  witch  or  wizard  has  called  in  the  sickness. 
Perhaps  a  wild  beast  may  have  destroyed  him ;  it  was  witchcraft 
that  confounded  his  skill  and  his  weapons,  and  that  encouraged 
the  animal  to  slay  him.  The  witch-finder  is  called  in,  and  by  one 
of  many  ways  he  singles  out  some  one,  generally  a  man  of  con- 
siderable wealth,  and  accuses  him  of  being  the  cause  of  the  death. 
The  man  indicated  denies  it.  He  is  accused  of  having,  by 
manipulations  with  horns,  by  eating  part  of  a  human  body,  or 
otherwise,  obtained  power  from  the  spirits  to  kill  the  deceased ; 


144  Heathen  Lands:   Africa. 

Mr.JoHNW.  and,  conscious  of  his  innocence,  he  at  once  demands  the  mwavi, 

Moir. 

or  ordeal  poison,  certain  that  it  will  prove  his  innocence.  Eight 
The  ordeal,  or  nine  out  of  ten  who  drink  this  poison  are  killed  hy  it,  and 
they  die  a  niiserahle  and  painful  death;  hut  all  the  country 
rejoices  that  another  enemy  of  mankind  has  been  cut  off.  After 
he  has  died  hy  the  ordeal  all  his  goods,  his  slaves,  his  fowls, 
everything  he  had,  passes  over  to  the  heir  of  the  man  who  first 
died,  and  the  witch-finder  and  the  poison-mixer  share  in  the 
plunder.  And  here,  unrecognised  hy  the  natives,  lies  the  very 
heart  of  the  matter.  They  do  see,  however,  that  most  of  the  rich 
men  come  to  a  violent  end,  which  acts  as  a  check  on  their  wish 
for  wealth.  A  missionary,  standing  looking  at  some  cattle  just 
arrived,  said  to  his  schoolboys,  "  I  hope  some  of  you  will  have 
cattle  like  this  some  day."  But  one  boy  quickly  replied,  "Have 
I  ten  lives  that  I  should  wish  to  have  cattle?"  Our  hope  for  these 
tribes  are  in  Him  who  was  moved  with  compassion  on  the 
multitude  because  they  were  like  sheep  without  a  shepherd. 
The  deliver-       Let  me  tell  \om  of  Chingota,  one  of  our  villagers,  accused  of 

ance  of  J  .       . 

Chingota.  witchcraft,  and  eager  to  prove  his  innocence  by  the  mwavi. 
I  heard  of  the  trial,  as  the  natives  considered  it,  just  in  time  to 
reach  the  appointed  place  before  the  poison  was  taken.  In  the 
solemnity  of  the  occasion  I  gave  them  our  view  of  what  was 
being  done— an  innocent  man  being  put  to  death  for  the  sake 
of  his  wealth.  I  likened  their  mwavi  to  our  strychnine,  with 
which  we  tried  to  kill  the  leopards  that  had  taken  our  goats. 
I  told  them  that  evil  things  had  been  done  in  our  oavii  country 
to  those  accused  of  witchcraft.  I  assured  them  that  as  Christianity 
had  changed  all  things  there,  so  it  would  surely  change  all  these 
things  in  Africa;  and  ended  by  preaching  Jesus  Christ  come 
to  destroy  the  works  of  the  devil.  Things  that  numbers  of  them 
had  already  heard  of  came  home  to  them  that  day  as  never  before ; 
and  the  man  himself  seemed  to  feel  that  he  had  been  saved  from 
almost  certain  death. 

Political  Another  outstanding  characteristic  of  the  political  condition  of 

the  aboriginal  tribes  is  their  thorough  decentralization.  Every 
man   for  himself  is  the   rule.     You  have  the  chief,  but  he  has 

Docentrai-    little  more  than  a  nominal  hold  over  the  people.    Take  an  example  : 

villages.'  A  man  has  a  number  of  daughters,  whom  he  marries  to  a  number 
of  young  men,  who  leave  their  fathers  ami  mothers  and  come 
to  their  wives.  They  build  a  new  village,  amidst  uncultivated 
ground,  and  of  this  the  father  becomes  head  man  by  mere  virtue 


Africa's  Woes  and  Wants.  145 

of  his  daughters.     Their  want  of  cohesion  makes  them  utterly  Mr.  John  w. 

°  .  Mom. 

weak,  and  they  are  seldom  ahle  to  resist  even  the  feeblest  attack 

from  the  outside.  Now  some  eighty  or  ninety  years  ago,  far 
down  in  the  south,  Zululand  was  in  much  the  same  condition. 
But  one  man,  Chaka,  arose,  compelled  his  people  to  work  together,  ciiaka^of 
united  them,  organized  them,  disciplined  them,  and  conquered 
wherever  he  went ;  and  so  the  great  Zulu  nation  grew  to  power. 
But  when  a  detachment  failed  in  the  work  Chaka  had  given  it  to 
accomplish,  every  man  composing  it  was  killed  on  its  inglorious 
return.  Those  expeditions  which  were  unable  to  fulfil  their 
lord's  commands,  and  they  were  not  a  few,  struck  away  north, 
into  the  far  interior.  Now  we  have,  dotted  over  nearly  the  whole 
of  Central  Africa,  Zulu  communities,  some  of  them  speaking  the 
pure  Zulu  of  their  fathers.  They  have  retained  Zulu  con- 
centration and  organization.  They  do  almost  what  they  like 
among  the  tribes  where  they  have  come,  whom  they  carry  off  as 
slaves  and  sell  to  the  Arabs ;  while  the  aboriginal  tribes,  wholly 
unorganized,  find  almost  their  only  resource  in  flight. 

But  is  there  not  a  power  to  change  all  this?  Did  not  God 
anoint  Jesus  Christ  to  come  and  preach  deliverance  to  the  captives, 
restore  sight  to  the  blind,  and  set  the  prisoners  free?  Here  is 
a  new  centre,  around  which  those  hunted  tribes  may  gather ;  and 
we  hope  and  work  for  new  times,  when  the  individual  shall 
seek  not  only  his  own,  but  also  the  common  wealth. 

Next  let  me  say  a  few  words  about  the  slavery  which  is  partly  African 

slavery, 

the  outcome  of  that  want  of  unity.  We  find  it  in  two  distinct 
forms  prevailing  in  Central  Africa.  There  is  domestic  slavery 
existing  over  the  whole  continent.  Take  two  instances  of  its 
worst  features.  In  1884  one  of  these  Zulu  raids  was  made  upon 
the  country  close  to  our  head  station,  and  two  hundred  slaves 
were  carried  off.  One  chief  attacked  called  on  his  people  to  sell 
their  slave  wives,  and  buy  guns  and  powder  to  resist  these  Zulus. 
Again,  when  this  chief  died,  about  a  year  ago,  there  would  have  a  chiefs 
been  a  solemn  funeral,  and  ample  provision  made  for  his  comfort 
in  the  spirit  world.  But  most  of  his  slaves  came  even  before  his 
death  to  us  and  asked  our  protection,  and  we  allowed  them 
to  remain  a  while  in  our  villages.  "With  such  a  chief  one  or  more 
of  his  wives  would  have  been  buried  alive,  and  into  his  grave 
would  have  been  poured  the  blood  of  many  slaves.  After  a  few 
days  the  regent  and  the  head  counsellors  came  down  to  us  and 
said  they  had  resolved  that  the  customs  usually  observed  at  such  a 

L 


146  Heathen  Lands :   Africa. 

mi-.johnW.  funeral  Avere  not  to  be  followed.     They  had  learned  something 

Moir.  J         >  ° 

hotter  from  the  English;    and  the  whole   eclat  of    the  funeral 

was  caused  by  the  burning  of  two  barrels  of  gunpowder  over  his 

grave,  which  I  gladly  supplied  on  hearing  of  their  resolution. 

The  slave  The  other  form  of   slavery  is   that   awful   slave   trade.      Few 

trade.  J 

in  this  country  have  any  idea  of  the  horrors  constantly  per- 
petrated by  the  slave  traders.  We  estimate  that  10,000  slaves 
are  annually  taken  across  lake  Nyassa  alone.  I  have  seen  many 
of  these  caravans,  and  if  I  could  only  take  you  one  by  one 
to  look  on  these  miserable  creatures  in  slave-sticks  and  chains, 
and  let  your  hearts  once  boil — as  every  Englishman's  must  at 
such  a  sight — there  would  be  a  great  additional  incentive  to 
send  the  gospel  to  that  dark  continent.  Many  of  you  have 
read  Livingstone's  Last  Journals,  and  you  know  something  of  his 

HardsMpsof  hardships  and  difficulties  in  travelling  the  four  hundred  miles  to 

travelling.  ° 

reach  lake  Nyassa.  Half  way  up  the  lake,  on  the  shore  furthest 
from  the  coast,  lies  an  Aral)  settlement.  On  one  occasion  I  spent 
two  nights  there  buying  ivory,  and  thus  saved  the  necessity  of 
sending  so  many  more;  slaves  to  the  coast.  We  were  preparing  to 
get  up  steam  at  daybreak  on  the  third  morning,  when  my 
attention  was  called  to  a  dhow  or  large  boat  being  run  inshore. 
We  went  off  in  our  dingey,  and  clambered  up  her  sides.  If  you 
could  but  have  stood  with  me,  and  looked  down  upon  the  en  >\vd 
of  human  beings,  amongst  whom  were;  eighty  or  ninety  little 
dVlaVe  children,  from  five  years  old  up  to  twelve  or  fourteen,  and  have 
seen  them  gazing  up  into  your  eyes  as  I  saw  them  that  day, 
there  would  be  a  new  realization  of  what  the  slave  trade  is,  a 
new  desire  and  prayer  in  your  hearts  to  be  able  to  do  something 
to  heal  the  "open  sore"  of  the  world,  as  Livingstone  called  it. 
These  little  things  had  to  travel,  if  they  could,  those  dread  four 
hundred  miles!  They  gazed  up  at  me  as  if  they  had  heard 
something  of  English  opposition  to  the  slave  trade,  but  I  was 
powerless.  I  commenced,  however,  by  making  a  mistake. 
Touched  with  the  pathetic  beauty  of  a  little  fare  just  al  my  feet, 
I  said,  "Will  you  sell  me  that  boy?"  No,  they  would  not.  If  I 
wanted  boys,  they  could  gel  me  plenty  others  in  the  town.  It  was 
as  well,  for  wc  had  not  gone  to  become  slave  dealers  in  any  sense, 
but  to- protest  against  this  iniquity.  I  asked  the  chief,  who  had 
hurried  out  on  our  arrival,  how  many  of  these  children  would 
reach  the  coast.  "Oh,"  he  said,  "many  will  die  on  the  road  ;  they 
always  do  die !"     The  man  was  a  Mohammedan,  and  1  told  him 


Africa's  Woes  and  Wants.  147 

that  these  bones  would  certainly  cry  out  against  him  for  judgment  Mr.Jon.\--w. 

to  the  great  God.      This  seemed  to  make  him  uncomfortable ; 

but  he  replied,  "Oh,  these  are  not  like  us;  they  have  no  souls, 

and  they  know  nothing  of  the  God  we  know."     There  perhaps 

he  spoke  a  little  truth.     They  do  know  nothing  of   our  God. 

It  is  for  us  to  send  the  knowledge  of  our  Saviour  out  to  them. 

Another  thing  I  would  just  mention  is  the  liquor  traffic.  We  The  liquor 
have  men  eager  to  send  liquor  into  Central  Africa.  We  have 
been  anxious  to  keep  it  out,  and  have  done  something  to  this 
end ;  but  there  is  a  mightier  power  than  ours  at  work  to  keep 
that  traffic  back.  I  sometimes  think  the  prayers  of  the  devoted 
Livingstone  hedge  round  his  old  servants,  the  Makololo,  to  keep 
that  curse  away.  One  or  two  instances.  One  white  man  who 
used  to  sell  elephant  medicine  freely  to  the  natives,  saying  that 
it  would  enable  them  to  kill  elephants,  was  taking  liquor  into  the 
Makololo  country.  One  night  the  demijohn  from  which  he  was 
drinking  rum  caught  fire.  The  whole  thing  went  into  a  blaze, 
and  he  was  burnt  to  death.  Another  man  wanted  to  bring  in 
drink  with  the  expressed  intention  of  creating  a  craving  for  it 
among  these  simple  natives.  But  on  the  borders  of  the  country 
into  which  he  wished  to  bring  liquor  he  quarrelled  with  and  shot  insecurity 
the  chief  the  same  night,  and  in  return  he  was  himself  shot  ot  ' e- 
dead.  Two  other  traders  in  liquor  were  cut  down  by  fever,  and 
other  two  died  a  violent  death.  God  in  His  providence  has 
protected  these  people  from  the  blight  which  evil  men  would 
bring  upon  them.  This  gives  us  additional  encouragement  in 
going  forward. 

Another  prospective   difficulty  arises   from  the  fact  that  the  Jhe 

x        x  J  Portuguese. 

Portuguese  have  this  year  made  a  small  annexation  on  lake 
Nyassa,  and  we  fear  exceedingly  that  they  wish  to  relieve  their 
almost  bankrupt  colony  by  annexing  the  whole  district,  and 
taxing  us  in  Portuguese  fashion,  so  as  to  make  much  of  our 
trading  work  quite  impossible.  They  have  not  succeeded  in 
their  previous  attempts,  thanks  to  our  Foreign  Office;  and  we 
trust  that  God  in  His  providence  will  keep  us,  for  we  have  none 
else  to  trust  to.  We  belong  to  no  civilized  state.  The  Portuguese 
and  the  Germans  are  grasping  at  the  territory  in  which  we  work. 
We  leave  it  all  in  God's  great  hands.  He  has  preserved  us  so  far, 
and  will  preserve  us  still.  It  is  written  that  "Ethiopia  shall  haste 
to  stretch  out  her  hands  unto  God,"  and  I  shall  now  give  one 
or  two  particulars  which  point  to  the  fulfilment  of  this  promise. 


148  Heathen  Lands:   Africa. 

Mr.JoHNW.  The  natives  of  the  Nyassa  district  are  all  open  to  the  gospeL 

Moir.  . 

They  have  no  idols,  such  as  Mr.  Grattan  Guinness  has  showed  us 
Open  to  the  from  the  West  Coast ;  they  believe  in  a  great  God.  When 
,0S  '  trouble  comes  they  pray  to  Him.  They  go  to  the  grave  of  one 
of  their  old  chiefs,  and  worship  there;  praying  to  the  spirit  of 
that  chief  that  he  may  interest  himself  for  them  with  God,  and 
obtain  for  them  the  rain  in  famine  or  help  in  war  that  they 
desire.  We  go  to  them  and  say,  "  We  have  come  to  tell  you  of 
God.  He  loves  you,  and  bids  you  leave  your  evil  ways."  One 
chief,  when  he  saw  a  little  party  worshipping  for  the  first  time, 
asked  me  if  we  white  people  had  a  road  to  the  spirit  land,  that 
we  knew  about  God.  I  replied,  "No;  far  better  than  that.  God 
sent  His  own  Son  to  tell  us  of  His  love  and  mercy."  We  find  an 
open  door,  they  receive  us  willingly,  and  listen  to  all  we  have  to 
say.  They  have  no  old  system  to  break  down,  no  prejudices 
against  Christianity  to  overcome.  They  have  no  written  language, 
as  you  have  heard — nothing  but  the  evil  heart  of  unbelief. 
bdnedone  Now  let  us  enquire  what  has  been  done  for  this  people.  Just 
look  at  that  wonderful  Church  Missionary  Society  away  up  north 
Murder  of  of  us,  at  Victoria  Nyanza.  Perhaps  you  all  know  that  on  Bishop 
Hannington  Hannington's  murder,  and  the  burning  to  death  of  some  of  the 
converts,  eleven  or  twelve  new  men  came  out  and  asked  for 
baptism.  We  hear  now  of  greater  persecutions  still.  Then  there 
is  the  London  Missionary  Society,  on  lake  Tanganyika ;  the 
Livingstonia  Mission,  west  of  lake  Nyassa ;  the  University 
Mission,  east  of  the  lake ;  the  Blantyre  Mission,  further  south, 
on  the  Shire  Highlands ;  and  at  several  of  the  stations  of  my  own 
company  daily  or  weekly  teachings  are  held.  We  have  now  at  last 
the  New  Testament  translated  into  the  Chinyanja  language,  and 
numbers  of  the  natives  are  beginning  to  read.  In  connection 
with  the  Livingstonia  Mission  we  have  a  knot  of  ten  or  twelve 
baptized  disciples,  and  these  little  ones  of  God  already  support  one 
of  their  number  to  preach  the  gospel  to  the  heathen.  But  what 
are  all  these  efforts  in  comparison  with  the  mighty  need1?  Still, 
to  adopt  the  simile  of  this  morning's  prayer  meeting,  here  is  the 
little  cloud,  though  only  as  big  as  a  man's  hand,  and  I  come,  like 
Elijah's  servant,  to  tell  you  of  it ;  and  I  would  ask  you  all  to  pray 
as  Elijah  prayed,  with  face  to  the  earth,  that  that  little  cloud  may 
yet  grow  mighty,  and  overshadow  all  the  land. 
Alegacyof        Let  me   iust   close   with  this   word:   When  Jesus   Christ   had 

work  and  u 

power.         finished   His  part  of  the   work   He   left  us  a  double  legacy — a 


New  Zealand  and  Japan.  149 

legacy  of    ivork  and   a   legacy   of  poiver,    the   power   Christians  Mr.  JohnW. 

strive  after  and  pray  for.     But,  my  dear  friends,  it  seems  to  me 

that  we  have  this  legacy  left  us  on  conditions.     Have  we  studied 

the  terms  1     "  Go  ye  into  all  the  world,  and  preach  the  gospel  to 

every  creature ;"  that  is  to  say,  that  upon  us  here  devolves  the 

duty,  not  only  of  preaching  the  gospel,  but  of  preaching  it  in  all 

the  world,  and  to  every  creature.     Only  on  resolutely  undertaking 

this  great  work  are  we  entitled  to  the  abundant  blessing  and 

power. 

You  have  heard  from  Mr.  Guinness  something  of  the  vastness  of 
the  work.  I  have  tried  to  tell  you  the  exceeding  greatness  of  the 
need  and  of  the  openness  of  the  doors.  It  now  remains  for  each  of 
you  to  find  from  God  what  He  would  have  you  do  towards  fulfilling 
the  great  command  of  reaching  every  creature. 


NEW    ZEALAND    AND    JAPAN. 
By  Mr.  W.  Blakeney,  K.N. 
If   I   did   not   know  from  God's  own  word   (and  it  is  full  of  J*1'- w- 

v  Blakenky. 

statements  to  this  effect)  that  He  uses  the  humblest  instruments 
to  work  out  His  high  behests,  I  should  never  be  found  speaking 
here  this  evening  after  the  two  speakers  before  me ;  but  I 
remember  that  He  was  pleased  to  use  a  poor  little  servant-maid, 
who   lived    hi   the   house   of    Naaman,    not   only   to   bring   her  a  little 

.  .  maid. 

master  to  visit  the  prophet,  but  to  give  him  courage  to  stand  up 
before  the  whole  assembly  around  him  and  confess,  "  Now  I  know 
that  there  is  no  god  in  all  the  earth  but  in  Israel."  And  later  too 
God  used — may  I  say  it  1 — the  unmanly,  cowardly  Peter,  who  had 
been  afraid  of  a  servant-girl's  sneer,  used  him  in  one  sermon  to 
win  three  thousand  souls  to  Himself.  When  I  recollect  these  facts, 
I  am  emboldened  to  stand  here  a  humble  instrument  in  His  hand, 
bound  by  the  profession  I  make  to  tell  you  the  little  that  I  do 
know  of  the  progress  made  by  His  gospel  in  some  of  the  far 
distant  mission-fields. 

As  I  have  listened  with  rapt  attention  to  the  various  addresses 
of  the  godly  men  who  have  addressed  us  to-day  and  yesterday,  I 
have  been  so  entranced  with  their  pictures  of  the  evangelization 
of  the  world,  that  at  times  my  mind  has  become  well-nigh 
bewildered  with  the  facts  brought  forward  on  this  question. 


150 


Heathen  Lands 


Mr.  W. 
Blakeney. 

Encourage- 
ment from 
afar. 


New 
Zealand. 


A  savage 
race. 


First  visit. 


Woman's 

work. 


And  noAv,  having  heard  of  the  vast  extent  of  heathenness  in 
Africa,  we  turn  for  relief  and  for  encouragement  to  a  land  that 
has  not  yet  been  mentioned,  a  land  that  has  been  won  to 
Christ  by  the  missionaries.  Let  me  now  speak  of  that  distant 
land,  telling  you  what  I  have  seen  with  my  own  eyes,  and  what 
after  many  years  has  been  done  therein  [New  Zealand].  Doubtless 
it  is  well  known  to  many  here.  I  believe  that  of  all  races  of 
men  we  Englishmen  have  come  across  we  have  never  met  with  a 
nobler  race,  and  yet  such  barbarous  savages,  as  these  New 
Zealanders  were.  They  were  first  seen  by  white  men  nearly  three 
hundred  years  ago,  and  the  first  discoverers  remembered  them  well 
you  may  depend  upon  it ;  for  a  boat's  crew  from  the  ship,  who 
landed  in  search  of  water,  were  killed  and  eaten  to  a  man.  Even 
when  Captain  Cook  visited  New  Zealand,  about  the  middle  of  last 
century,  they  were  just  the  same  savage  race.  I  have  myself  read, 
as  part  of  my  duty  in  days  gone  by,  his  description  in  his  own 
handwriting  of  what  he  saw  there  of  cannibal  feasts.  And  later 
still,  towards  the  end  of  last  century,  when  a  French  man-of-war 
was  visiting  the  coast,  though  her  crew  were  dying  of  scurvy 
the  captain  dared  not  keep  close  to  the  shore  for  fear  of  these 
barbarian  savages.  Later  still,  in  the  beginning  of  the  present 
century,  the  crew  of  a  British  man-of-war  Avere  slain  and  eaten. 
Indeed,  until  1842 — not  so  very  long  ago — the  New  Zealanders 
were  still  cannibals. 

In  the  year  1851 — only  nine  years  after  that — I  first  set  foot  in 
New  Zealand.  The  vessel  hi  Avhich  I  Avas  serving  was  employed 
exclusively  in  exploring  and  mapping  the  coast  of  that  then  little- 
known  land.  Thus  I  Avas  able  to  see  phases  of  Ncav  Zealand  life 
Avhich  very  feAV  men  in  those  days  had  the  opportunity  of  seeing. 
I  believe  there  are  still  some  feAV  left  of  the  godly  missionaries 
Ave  then  found  here  and  there,  dotting  the  coast  with  the  light  of 
the  glorious  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ. 

I  have  heard  over  and  over  again  in  these  meetings  thrilling 
references  to  woman's  work.  Now  I  stand  here  to  say  that  I 
myself  am  a  living  testimony  to  the  reality  of  woman's  work — 
a  New  Zealand  svoman  too.  We  were  at  anchor  one  night  under 
the  cape  called  by  our  countryman,  Capt.  Cook,  Cape  Runaway; 
so  named  because  when  oh'  that  place,  seeing  a  large  number  of 
natives  evidently  meditating  an  attack  upon  him,  he  sailed  away 
rather  than  open  fire  upon  them.  Probably  no  vessel  had 
anchored  in  that   hay   from  Capt.  Cook'.-    time  until  our  arrival. 


New  Zealand  and  Japan.  151 

However,  we  anchored  there  one  night,  and  before  morning  came  Mr.  w. 

Blakenky. 

were  in  such  dire  extremity  that  in  all  human  probability  the 

vessel  would  have  been  wrecked,  and  all  our  lives  sacrificed,  but  in  danger. 

for  the  humanity  of  Maori  women.     Now,  we  knew  that  in  that 

bay  were  a  few  white  men  (we  saw  their  huts),  called  in  those 

days  Bay-whalers,  who  used  to  live  by  catching  whales  that  came 

into  the  bay — a  godless  set  of   men  I  fear  they  mostly  were. 

May  I  say  that  I  could  stir  the  hearts  of  every  man,  woman,  and  ^ftes^ 

child  here,  and  throughout  this  Christian  England  of  ours,  were 

I  to  tell  all  I  have  seen  of  the  conduct  of  many  white  men  in  this 

and  other  heathen  lands  1     They  are  indeed  the  greatest  obstacles 

to  the  progress  of  Christ's  kingdom  amongst  savage  races,   who 

judge  of   Christanity  by  what  they  see  and  experience  of   the 

Godless,  Christless  lives  of  these  men — men  too  calling  themselves 

Christians.     God  forgive  them,  and  God  forgive  us  for  not  looking 

more  after  the  men  Ave  send  to  foreign  lands. 

"Well,  we  signalled  and  waited  for  some  hours  without  answer,  a  rescue. 
At  length,  in  response  to  our  flag  of  distress,  a  boat  with  three 
white  men  and  three  New  Zealanders  came  to  our  help.  We  had 
waited  three  long  anxious  hours.  When  they  came  alongside  the 
captain  asked,  "  Did  you  not  see  our  flag  of  distress  1  and  did  you 
not  notice  it  was  the  flag  of  a  British  man-of-war?"  "Yes,  we 
did,"  said  they.  "  Then  why  did  you  not  come  to  our  help  sooner  V 
The  answer  these  white  men  gave  was  this  :  "  The  natives  told  us 
at  daylight  of  your  position ;  but  we  said,  '  Let  her  alone ;  she 
will  drift  ashore,  and  we  shall  have  the  bones.'"  "What  then 
made  vou  come  at  last1?"     "The  Maori  women  shamed  us  into  Maori 

J  _  _  women. 

coming  off,  and  here  we  are."  Oh,  friends,  if  I  say  not  another 
word,  take  that  away  with  you  as  evidence  of  the  power  of  the 
gospel  in  the  hearts  of  heathen  women! 

Now  we  have  been  told,  in  Mr.  Fronde's  book,  Oceana,  but  The  Maoris, 
recently  published,  how  low  and  degraded  the  Maoris  have 
become  since  the  clays  I  speak  of.  Have  they1?  Only  in  the 
track  of  unconverted  white  men,  only  there.  There  are  tens  of 
thousands  of  Maoris  in  that  New  Zealand  who  are,  man  for  man 
and  woman  for  woman,  just  as  good  Christians  as  you  or  I.  The 
land  in  fact  has  been  won  for  Christ. 

Why,  not  many  weeks  ago,  when  accounts  came  home  of  that  Recent 

J '  J  °  '  eruption 

terrible  eruption,  which  took  place  on  the  lakes  of  Eotomohana,  ™  New 
what  do  we  read  of  that  awful  night  %     When  many  of  the  white 
men  were  paralyzed  with  fear,  as  godless  men  always  are  when 


152 


Heathen  Lands 


Mr.  w. 
Blakkney. 


Miss 

Butler's 

testimony. 


A  great 
change. 


A  corrupt- 
ing influence 


Japan. 


face  to  face  with  such  startling  exhibitions  of  the  Creator's  mighty 
power,  what  was  the  behaviour  of  the  Maori  women?  They 
stood  to  their  posts  like  the  Pompeian  sentinel,  and,  though  the 
earth  rocked  to  its  centre,  rescued  white  children  committed  to 
their  care.     The  Maoris  have  not  deteriorated,  have  they  ? 

Miss  Butler  also  has  lately  come  home  from  that  land,  and  has 
written  a  book,  full  of  interest,  of  what  she  saw  in  New  Zealand. 
One  story  she  tells  which  I  will  pass  on  to  you.  It  is  this : 
Sitting  one  Sunday  afternoon  with  a  crowd  of  Maori  women  and 
children  around  her,  she  took  for  her  subject-lesson  the  parable  of 
the  prodigal  son.  Do  you  know  (mark  it,  please,  as  showing 
the  change)  the  thing  that  touched  the  Maori  women  with 
reference  to  this  prodigal  son  more  than  anything  else  was, 
that  when  he  came  to  such  a  low  extremity  no  man  gave  him  to 
eat !  The  very  humanity  of  these  converted  Maories  rebelled 
against  the  thought  that  any  one  in  such  straits  should  be  denied 
hospitality.  Such  now  are  the  •  descendants  of  that  race  which 
the  French  navigator  so  dreaded  that  he  dared  not  land,  although 
his  men  were  dying,  for  fear  of  being  murdered  and  eaten  by 
them.  Truly  "old  things  are  passed  away;  all  things  are  become 
new;"  for  "if  any  man  be  in  Christ,  he  is  a  new  creature."  That 
is  true,  I  believe,  wherever  the  gospel  has  been  preached; 
certainly  it  is  exemplified  in  the  Maoris.  So,  I  say,  is  it  not 
a  solace,  after  the  dark  pictures  we  have  had,  to  turn  to  this 
bright  spot  in  the  Southern  Seas  1  Let  us  take  courage  ;  for  what 
has  been  done,  by  God's  help,  in  New  Zealand,  will  yet  be  done 
in  the  dark  continent  of  Africa,  as  well  as  the  wide  world  over. 

But  I  am  to  talk  to  you  about  Japan.  I  will,  however,  before 
leaving  New  Zealand,  add  one  grave  fact  with  reference  to 
the  corrupting  influence  of  godless  white  men,  that  Maori  oaths 
are  the  oaths  of  the  white  man ;  they  had  none  of  their  own. 
They  have  learned  them  from  the  lips  of  Englishmen. 

Now  as  to  Japan,  we  have  been  hearing  a  good  deal  about  it 
lately.  I  can  tell  you  perhaps  something  that  may  be  worth 
knowing  of  its  earlier  condition.  I  was  one  of  those  who  landed 
in  Japan  soon  after  the  treaty  made  by  Lord  Elgin  with  that 
country  in  1858.  I  will  tell  you  what  1  found  it.  My  business 
there  was  the  same  as  on  the  coast  of  New  Zealand — that  of 
exploring  and  mapping  the  coast.  Thus  we  had  to  visit  many 
places  which,  so  far  as  I  know,  have  not  been  visited  since,  though 
twenty-eight  years  have  gone  by  since  then.     On  that  expedition 


New  Zealand  and  Japan.  153 

we  never  left  the  shelter  of  our  ships,  on  the  coast  of  Japan,  Mr.  w. 

•11  11  1-1  l-l  Blakeney. 

without  being  armed  to  the  teeth  with  sword,  pistol,  brass  gun  m 
the  bows,  shot  and  shell,  and  all  the  hideous  and  hateful  parapher- 
nalia of  war,  ready  for  defence  in  case  of  attack.  It  was  more 
than  our  lives  were  worth  to  go  outside  the  range  of  our  boat's 
gun.  ISrow,  in  this  year  of  grace  1886,  what  do  we  find1?  Why 
not  only  is  Japan,  I  believe,  on  the  high  road  to  becoming  a 
professedly  Christian  nation,  but  we  have  among  the  Japanese  Christian 

1  J  ox  Japanese. 

splendid  examples  of  Christian  life  and  character.  Even  this 
morning,  after  our  service  here,  I  found  in  a  bookshop  close 
by  Mildmay  Hall  a  pamphlet  on  missionary  intelligence.  Looking  Missionary 
over  it — for  somehow  whenever  I  get  hold  of  such  information  I  intellisence- 
like  to  see  what  is  doing  in  Japan  or  New  Zealand,  because 
we  love  best  what  we  know  best — looking  over  it,  here  is  what 
I  find  from  Japan,  and  it  has  something  to  do  with  woman's 
work.  The  letter  is  written  by  a  missionary,  and  dated  from 
Tokio  in  April  last.  He  says,  speaking  of  a  Japanese  Bible- 
woman  : 

"  The  Bible-woman  went  to  a  country  for  a  week,  accompanied  a  Japanese 
by  the  wife  of  one  of  the  deacons.  The  first  evening  a  meeting  woman. 
was  held  at  Fuchiu.  It  was  intended  to  be  for  women  only, 
but  the  men  began  to  assemble  as  usual.  I  requested  them  to 
go  out,  as  women  only  were  expected  to  be  present.  They  went 
out,  but  after  a  while  began  to  gather  again.  Finally,  about 
sixty  men  and  women  had  gathered,  when  0  Kuwa  proposed 
to  begin  speaking.  I  asked  if  she  would  like  to  have  the  men  go 
out,  and  she  said  if  they  would  make  no  disturbance  they  could 
remain. 

"Then  she  addressed  her  audience.  I  wish  you  could  have 
heard  and  understood  her.  In  clear,  simple  language  she  told 
them  about  the  true  God.  Every  person  listened  with  the  utmost 
attention.  It  was  a  strange  sight,  this  woman  sitting  on  the 
floor,  and  teaching  so  many  men  the  way  of  life. 

"  You  know  that  the  Japanese  men  have  not  quite  that  idea  of 
woman's  sphere  that  the  '  Sorosis '  advocates.  Women  in  the  past 
have  not  been  educated,  and  they  have  a  vocabulary  peculiarly 
their  own.  One  will  notice  many  a  word  in  the  dictionary 
bracketed  '  used  only  by  women.'  When  I  first  came  to  Japan,  I 
had  a  teacher  who  knew  a  little  English.  One  day  he  corrected 
me  for  using  a  certain  Japanese  word,  by  saying,  '  Only  women 
use  that.'     Well,  it  was  'only  a  woman '  who  was  talking,  and  yet 


154 


Heathen  Lands, 


Women 
workers. 


The  English 
tongue. 


Mr.  w.  those  men  hardly  took  their  eyes  from  her.  They  listened  as 
attentively  as  it  they  were  hstcnmg  to  a  Chinese  scholar. 

"When  0  Kuwa  had  finished,  Mrs.  Yamagata,  the  deacon's 
wife,  addressed  them.     I  think  much  good  was  done  that  night." 

With  that  before  us,  may  I  not  again  say,  "  God  bless  the 
women'"?  and  may  such  workers  he  multiplied  a  thousandfold 
as  hearers  of  the  cross.  In  a  recent  publication,  speaking  of  the 
number  of  women  engaged  in  this  glorious  work,  the  writer 
describes  them  (will  the  ladies  forgive  my  calling  attention  to  it  V) 
as  "an  army  of  sacred  Amazons  in  the  holy  war." 

Well,  now,  we  have  had  standing  on  this  platform  since  I  have 
been  here — and  I  am  sure  many  of  you  have  noted  the  fact — 
a  soldier  of  the  cross  from  Kussia;  another  from  that  highly- 
intellectual  and  gifted  nation,  Germany;  another  soldier  of  the 
cross  from  that  keen-witted  and  philosophic  land  across  the  near 
sea,  France;  and  this  further  fact  has  struck  me,  that  they 
have  spoken  to  us  in  our  own  mother  tongue  with  such  fluency  as 
certainly  does  not  issue  from  my  lips.  What  may  we  gather 
therefrom?  I  think  this,  that  English  speech  is  being  clearly 
pointed  out  by  God,  not  only  by  what  the  past  can  show,  but 
by  what  is  going  on  now,  and  by  that  which  seemingly  looms 
in  the  future,  as  the  great  medium  of  communication  to  the  races 
of  men,  of  the  truths  of  the  gospel  of  our  Lord  and  Saviour 
Jesus  Christ. 

Some  sixty  years  ago,  I  believe  it  was,  a  great  American  orator, 
in  speaking  of  this  land  of  ours,  described  her  as  that  Power 
"whose  morning  drum-beat,  following  the  sun  and  keeping  pace 
with  the  hours,  encircles  the  world  with  the  martial  airs  of 
England."  A  grand  utterance,  but  true.  And  if  true  in  his  day, 
it  is  truer  still  now ;  for  since  those  words  were  spoken,  what 
has  been  added  to  the  empire  of  England  1  Carry  your  eye  in 
fancy  with  me  over  a  map  of  the  world  as  I  enumerate  the 
places — Cyprus  (we  are  in  Egypt,  and  I  think  are  likely  to  remain 
there),  Aden,  Burmah,  Borneo,  Hongkong,  Port  Hamilton,  in  the 
Corea;  and,  in  the  South  Seas,  New  Guinea,  Fiji,  Kermadec 
Islands,  and  New  Zealand.  The  whole  world  is  really  encircled 
with  the  martial  hosts  of  this  land  of  ours.  May  I  now  refer  to 
1  i i<  prophecy  of  Malachi  with  reference  to  the  evangelization 
of  the  world,  blending  with  it  the  oratory  of  Webster,  ami  then  I 
will  close?  In  Malachi  i.  11  we  read:  "From  the  rising  of  the 
sun   even   unto   the    going  down  of   the  same  My  name   shall    he 


Webster's 

oratory. 


K  tended 
Empire. 


New  Zealand  and  Japan.  155 

great  among  the  Gentiles ;  and  in  every  place  incense  shall  be  Mr.  w. 
offered  nnto  My  name,  and  a  pure  offering :  for  My  name  shall  be 
great  among  the  heathen,  saith  the  Lord  of  hosts."  Adopting 
Webster's  oratory,  and  catching  up  the  idea  enshrined  in  the 
inspired  words  of  Malachi,  let  me  now  conclude  by  saying,  a  grand 
If  we  are  true  to  our  creed,  England  ought  to  be  that  Christian 
power  whose  morning  anthems,  rising  with  the  sun  and  swelling 
with  the  hours,  encircle  the  wide  world  with  the  songs  sung 
by  angels — "Glory  to  God  in  the  highest,  and  on  earth  peace, 
good  will  toward  men." 

Prayer  by  Mr.  Robert  Paton  concluded  the  proceedings  of  the 
day. 


BIBLE   LANDS. 

Thursday  Morning,  October  7  th,  188G. 


The  lands  of  sacred  history  formed  the  subject  of  this  morning's 
<u  Id  less.  The  proceedings  began  with  silent  prayer,  and  the 
singing  of  hymn  No.  2 — 

"  Ye  servants  of  God,  your  Master  proclaim, 
And  publish  abroad  His  wonderful  name." 

A  number  of  requests  were  then  read  and  laid  before  the 
Lord  in  prayer  by  the  Rev.  D.  B.  Hankin.  The  Chairman, 
Mr.  Stock,  opened  with  the  following  address  : 


MOHAMMEDAN  AND  BIBLE  LANDS. 

By  Me,  Eugene  Stock. 

Mr.  Eugene  j  want  to  suggest  for  your  consideration  three  texts,  one  of  which 
is  very  familiar,  and  may  possibly  have  been  referred  to  before 
in  this  Conference,  but  which  is  very  important  for  us  to-day,  as 
we  contemplate  what  is  the  most  difficult  of  all  mission-fields.  The 
first  you  will  find  in  Zechariah  iv.  6,  7:  "This  is  the  word  of 
the  Lord  unto  Zeruhbabel,  saying,  Not  by  might,  nor  by  power, 

A  great  but  by  My  Spirit,  saith  the  Lord  of  hosts.  Who  art  thou,  O 
great  mountain?  before  Zerubbabel  thou  shalt  become  a  plain: 
and  he  shall  bring  forth  the  headstone  thereof  with  shoutings, 
crying,  Grace,  grace  unto  it."  The  second  is  in  Matthew  xvii. 
19-21  :  "Then  came  the  disciples  to  Jesus  apart,  and  said,  YViiy 
could  not  we  cast  him  out1?  And  Jesus  said  unto  them,  Because 
of  your  unbelief:  for  verily  I  say  unto  you,  If  ye  have  faith  as  a 
grain  of  mustard  seed,  ye  shall  say  unto  this  mountain,  Remove 
hence  to  yonder  place  ;  and  it  shall  remove  :  and  nothing  shall  be 
impossible  unto  you.     Howbeil   this  kind  goeth  not  out  but  by 


Mohammedan  and  Bible  Lands.  157 

prayer  and  fasting."  Before  I  refer  to  the  third  text,  jnst  let  Mr.  Euoene 
me  say  that  although  you  have  already  in  this  Conference  looked 
seriously  and  prayerfully  at  the  great  false  system  of  Moham- 
medanism, yet  we  have  again  to  contemplate  it  to-day,  and  we 
shall  find  that  Mohammedanism  is  the  great  mountain  which  has 
to  he  levelled  and  removed  in  Bible  lands.  In  the  first  of  these  The  promise 
two  texts  we  have  seen  God  promising  that  a  great  mountain  shall 
be  levelled  into  a  plain,  and  in  the  second  we  have  seen  what  it  is 
that  He  uses  in  order  that  mountains  may  be  removed  and  cast 
into  the  sea;  namely,  "prayer  and  fasting."  Now  in  the  third 
text  we  find  a  mountain  referred  to  in  a  totally  different  sense. 
Micah  iv.  1  :  "  But  in  the  last  days  it  shall  come  to  pass,  that  the 
mountain  of  the  house  of  the  Lord  shall  be  established  in  the  top 
of  the  mountains,  and  it  shall  be  exalted  above  the  hills;  and 
people  shall  flow  unto  it."  These  words  carry  us  in  thought  to 
the  last  times  when  Zion  shall  be  restored.  But  notice  the 
words,  "All  nations  shall  flow  into  it."  Flowing  suggests  a  river, 
and  rivers  always  flow  down,  never  up.  You  cannot  imagine 
water  flowing  up,  but  these  nations  are  to  flow  up.  Grace  is 
always  different  from  nature.  "Many  nations  shall  come,  and 
say,  Come,  and  let  us  go  up  to  the  mountain  of  the  Lord,  and  to 
the  house  of  the  God  of  Jacob ;  and  He  will  teach  us  of  His 
ways,  and  we  will  walk  in  His  paths  :  for  the  law  shall  go  forth 
of  Zion,  and  the  word  of  the  Lord  from  Jerusalem."  These 
verses  may  well  be  prayed  over  and  thought  over  by  every  one  of 
us  in  connection  with  Bible  lands.  Now  let  us  sing  the  hymn 
based  on  this  very  prophecy  of  Micah — "Behold!  the  mountain 
of  the  Lord." 

Hymn  No.  41  having  been  sung — 

"  Behold  !  the  mountain  of  the  Lord, 
In  latter  days  shall  rise," 

the  Chairman  continued  as  follows  : 

Is  there  anything  which  should   humble  us  Christians  more  Mohammed- 

anisni  in 

than  the  fact  that  the  lands  of  the  Bible  are  under  the  sway  of  Bible  lands, 
the  Mohammedan  religion  and  power  1     It  seems  always  to  me 
a  thought  which  ought  to  humble  us  more  than  anything  else. 
Now   how   has   this   come    to    pass  1      The    apostles    and    their 
successors  planted  churches  all  over  these  lands ;   but  in  those  Eastern 
churches,  alas!  the  salt  lost  its  savour,  and  first  one  corruption  cimc  es" 
and  then  another  came  in,  until  at  length  the  Lord  permitted 
Mohammedanism,  which  surely  may  be  regarded  as  having  been 


158 


Bible  Lands. 


Mr.  Eugene 
Stock. 


A  new 
crusade. 


Early  efforts 
of  the 
Church 
Missionary 
Society. 


Rev.  W. 
Jowett's 

work. 


a  scourge  of  God,  almost  to  sweep  away  the  churches  and  remove 
the  candlesticks  out  of  their  places,  as  He  had  threatened  to  do. 
But  yet — and  it  is  a  melancholy  and  yet  an  interesting  sight — those 
churches  still  exist,  although  in  a  downtrodden,  ignorant,  degraded 
condition,  full  of  superstitions  of  every  kind.  There  are  the 
Copts,  the  Maronites,  the  Nestorians",  the  Greeks,  the  Armenians, 
and  many  others.  Thousands  of  these  Christians  are  scattered 
over  the  East,  although  the  Mohammedan  is  dominant  and  rules. 
Has  the  Church  of  Christ  looked  on  the  sad  sight  1  Has  it 
done  all  it  could  by  prayer  and  faith  to  remove  the  mountain? 
There  was  a  time  when  the  Christian  Church — such  as  it  was — 
did  make  an  attempt.  In  the  Crusades,  mistaken  as  they  were, 
one  can  see  a  certain  kind  of  mingling  of  good  with  the  bad. 
But  now  we  want  a  new  crusade;  not  to  win  back  the  alleged 
place  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre  from  the  infidel,  but  to  win  souls 
to  Christ. 

Now  let  us  look  briefly  at  what  has  been  done  in  the  last 
seventy  years  in  the  Levant  by  the  Church  Missionary  Society. 
We  shall  hear  presently  from  Dr.  Brookes  what  is  being  done  by 
our  American  brethren.  In  its  earliest  days  the  Church  Missionary 
Society  sought  to  plant  missions  in  the  East,  in  those  lands  over 
which  the  Mohammedan  holds  his  withering  sway.  In  the  very 
first  report  of  the  Society  Persia  is  mentioned  as  a  field  of  work. 
Within  a  few  weeks  of  the  battle  of  Waterloo  we  began  to 
occupy  the  East;  and  it  is  interesting  at  the  present  day,  when 
we  are  rejoicing  in  Cambridge  graduates  dedicating  themselves  to 
missionary  work,  to  know  that  the  very  first  Cambridge  graduate 
to  go  out  actually  as  a  missionary  (for  though  Henry  Martyn  was 
a  missionary  in  heart,  he  was  never  technically  a  missionary,  but 
a  chaplain)  was  the  Eev.  William  Jowett,  Twelfth  Wrangler  and 
Fellow  of  St.  John's,  who  went  out  to  Bible  lands  in  1815.  He 
had  interviews  with  the  heads  of  the  Eastern  Churches,  and  found 
a  remarkably  encouraging  reception  everywhere.  The  Society's 
desire  was  that  these  churches  should  be  enlightened,  and  that 
they  should  have  the  word  of  God  given  them,  so  that  they 
might  be  able  to  hold  up  the  light'  of  God's  truth  to  the  Moham- 
medans around  them.  One  of  the  results  of  Mr.  Jowett's  mission 
Avas  the  preparation  and  translation  of  portions  of  the  Word  of 
God,  and  of  books  and  tracts  in  the  tongues  of  these  Eastern 
Christians.  On  that  work  Dr.  John  Kitto  was  engaged  with 
others  at  Malta,  where  a  printing  press  was  established.     Emm 


Mohammedan  and  Bible  Lands.  159 

this  press  large  numbers  of  tracts  and  books  were  circulated  all  Mr.  Eugkne 
over  the  Levant.     For  many  years  we  had  a  missionary  labouring 
in  Egypt,  largely  engaged  in  training  young  men  of  the  Coptic  Mission  to 
Church.     Many  priests  and  even  one  bishop  were  thus  trained ;    m   °p  s' 
and  it  is  believed  that  several  went  forth  in  the  service  of  their 
church  imbued  with  true  scriptural  and  evangelical  principles. 
Nevertheless,   it  must  be  said  that,  as  a  whole,   the  enterprise  failm'c  of 

Ml  6  GlltGl*- 

failed,  partly  through  the  crystallizing  opposition  of  the  heads  of  Prise- 
the  Oriental  Churches  and  partly  through  the  missionary  interest 
at  home  being  diverted  to  more  distant  fields,  such  as  India  and 
China ;    and   thus   the   work    of   raising   the   Eastern    Churches 
gradually  fall  into  abeyance. 

Then  came   the   question,   Why  not   attack   Mohammedanism  Could 

..  .  Mohammed- 

directly'S  I  hat  was  impossible  prior  to  the  Crimean  war,  foranism*e 
death  was  the  penalty  of  forsaking  Mohammedanism.  Two  men  'directly? 
who  had  been  originally  Armenians,  but  Avho  had  embraced 
Mohammedanism,  and  subsequently  returned  to  the  Armenian 
Church,  were  publicly  executed  for  doing  so ;  and  two  others, 
Moslems  from  birth,  were  executed  for  professing  Christianity  in 
1852-53.     But  after  the  Crimean  war,   or  rather  before  it  was  The  Crimean 

W3.1*  i   l)Gforc 

finished,  but  when  success  was  assured,  Lord  Clarendon  sent  a  and  after, 
despatch  to  the  Turkish  Government  in  which,  after  referring  to 
the  "  gigantic  efforts  and  enormous  sacrifices  made  by  the  Western 
Powers,"  he  intimated  that  "  Her  Majesty's  Government 
distinctly  demanded  that  no  punishment  should  attach  to  any 
Mohammedan  becoming  a  Christian,  whether  originally  a  Christian 
or  originally  a  Mohammedan.  In  all  such  cases,"  he  wrote,  "  the 
movements  of  the  human  conscience  must  be  free,  and  the 
temporal  arm  must  not  interfere  to  coerce  the  sjnritual  decision." 
A  noble  sentiment  to  be  uttered  by  an  English  statesman ! 
Turkey  resisted,  but  had  at  length  to  yield,  and  religious  liberty 
was  proclaimed ;  but,  alas  !  it  was  on  paper  only.  A  few  years  ago 
we  used  to  hear  a  great  deal  about  the  tolerance  of  the  Turks. 
Yes,  tolerance  for  such  missions  as  those  of  our  American 
brethren,  whose  work  in  the  main  was  to  spread  the  gospel 
amongst  the  Eastern  Christians ;  for  what  did  it  matter  to  the 
Turkish  Government  if  an  American  or  Greek  Christian  became  a 
Protestant  1  But  let  a  Mohammedan  become  a  Christian,  that  was 
a  very  different  thing ;  there  was  no  toleration  for  that.  However, 
at  first  the  prospects  were  hopeful.  After  the  Crimean  war  we 
sent   two  missionaries  to  Constantinople,   Dr  Pfander   and   Dr. 


160 


Bible  Lands. 


Mr.  Eugkne 
Stock. 

The  Church 
Missionary 
Society's 
Constanti- 
nople 
mission. 


Missions 
in  Asiatic 
Turkey, 
Syria,  and 
Egypt. 


Ami  in 
Palestine. 


Koelle,  and  these  two  worked  nobly  for  some  years.  In  1862-63 
they  had  several  baptisms  of  Mohammedans;  and  in  1864  they 
wrote,  "  Our  work  is  most  interesting,  and  our  meetings  are 
crowded.  Last  Sunday  we  spoke  nearly  eight  and  a  half  hours 
to  great  crowds."  In  one  day,  however,  all  these  bright  hopes 
were  shattered;  in  July,  1864,  the  bookshops  and  missiondiouses 
were  suddenly  closed  by  the  Turkish  police,  and  the  work  came  to 
an  end.  For  some  years  Dr.  Koelle  stayed  on,  and  did  what  he 
could  quietly.  Several  enquirers  came  forward  from  time  to  time ; 
but  one  by  one  all  who  showed  any  such  desire  disappeared 
suddenly,  and  were  never  heard  of  again.  "What  became  of 
them — whether  they  are  at  the  bottom  of  the  Bosphorus  or  not — 
I  do  not  know. 

Turning  now  to  other  parts  of  the  Turkish  Empire,  the 
American  Board  has  extensive  missions  in  Asia  Minor.  Syria  is 
worked  by  the  American  Presbyterians,  and  Egypt  by  tho 
American  United  Presbyterians.  I  very  much  lament  the  absence 
to-day  of  Dr.  Lansing,  who  gave  us  the  other  day  at  Salisbury 
Square  a  deeply  interesting  account  of  the  work  in  Egypt,  and 
told  us  that  (even  before  the  English  intervention)  there  was 
much  more  liberty  for  the  gospel  in  Egypt  than  in  other 
Mohammedan  states.  He  told  us  also  that  from  first  to  last, 
some  sixty  Mohammedans  have  been  baptized  there,  and  that 
he  does  not  know  of  one  who  has  apostatized.  That  is  a  very 
remarkable  fact,  and  certainly  not  before  known  in  England. 
But  still  the  fact  remains  that  Mohammedanism  is  a  mighty 
barrier  against  the  spread  of  the  gospel;  and  its  strength  lies  in 
this,  that  the  only  view  of  Christianity  it  has  had  for  centuries 
is  that  of  the  degraded  Oriental  Churches.  Mohammedans  say, 
"If  that  be  Christianity,  and  if  these  be  Christians,  we  would 
rather  remain  as  we  are."  Indeed,  as  our  missionary  at  Cairo, 
Mr.  Klein,  wrote  a  short  time  ago,  "The  commonest  Moslem 
fellah  considers  himself  immensely  superior  to  the  most  learned 
Christian;  for  he  considers  the  Christian  a  mushrik  (idolater), 
worshipping  three  gods,  and  pretending  thai  God  was  born  of 
a,  woman,  whereas  he  knows  that  Allah  is  Cod,  and  that  He 
is  One." 

Then  in  Palestine  there  is  the  important-  work  of  the  Society 
for  Promoting  Female  Education  in  the  East,  and  the  British 
Syrian  Schools,  ami  many  other  small  hut  interesting  missions; 
as  for  example  that  of  your  own  Mildmay  ladies  at  Jail'a.      Hut 


Work  in  Palestine.  161 

the  largest  work  in  Palestine  is  that  of  the  Church  Missionary  Mr.  Eugene 

Stock 

Society.  Mr.  Wilson  will  tell  us  of  it  directly,  and  I  will  only 
mention  that  we  have  stations  at  Jerusalem,  Nazareth,  Gaza, 
Jaffa,  Nablus,  Salt,  and  far-off  Bashan.  I  fully  admit  that  the 
outlook  at  present  is  not  bright ;  still  many  of  the  Mohammedan 
children  are  reading  the  word  of  God,  and  know  intellectually  a 
good  deal  about  the  truth.  And  I  believe  that  when  genuine 
religious  liberty  is  proclaimed  throughout  the  East — and  surely 
that  cannot  be  very  far  off — we  shall  see  a  great  uprising,  a  great 
revival.  It  is  in  such  lands  very  much  as  our  devoted  missionary 
Dr.  Bruce  describes  in  Persia.  He  says,  "  I  am  not  reaping  the  Gathering 
harvest,  I  am  hardly  sowing  the  seed,  or  even  ploughing  the  "tones? 
soil ;  but  /  am  gathering  out  the  stones."  God  help  him,  and  all 
our  brethren,  to  do  that. 

Now  I  shall  call  upon  the  Rev.  C.  T.  Wilson,  who  has  been 
labouring  in  Palestine.  It  will  interest  you  to  know  that  he  was  a 
member  of  the  first  party  that  went  to  U-ganda,  and  was  the  first 
man  to  preach  the  gospel  in  M'tesa's  Court.  Afterwards,  his  health 
breaking  down,  he  came  home,  and  was  sent  to  Palestine. 


WORK     IN     PALESTINE. 
By  Rev.  C.  T.  Wilson. 
The  work  in  Palestine  may  be  said  to  be  in  a  great  measure  as  yet  Rev.  c.  T. 

J  ...  Wilson. 

in  an  elementary  state ;  indeed,  it  is  only  the  sowing-time  now ; 
and  it  seems  as  if  much  of  the  seed  fell  on  the  wayside,  and  was 
picked  up  by  the  birds.     Very  little  was  on  stony  ground,  and 
still  less  on  good  ground.     The  work   amongst  the  Moslems —  ^^gst 
for  among  them  my  own  work  chiefly  lies — is  specially  hard.    We  Moslems, 
have  many  difficulties  and  hindrances.    First  of  all,  the  opposition 
of    the   Turkish   Government.      I    believe    very   few    at    home 
recognize  the  enormous  difficulties  put  in  our  way  by  the  Turkish  Gov^ni.^nt 
Government.     In  the  first  place,  no  direct  form  of  work  amongst 
the  Mohammedans  is  allowed  in  Turkey.    We  may  not,  of  course, 
preach  in  the  street ;  and  even  in  our  own  buildings  there  must 
be  no  preaching   which    can   be   heard   from  the  outside.     For 
example,  only  the  other  day,  at  Gaza,  where  there  is  a  Medical  £J.ur.ch 

tr     )  J  J  J  Missionary 

Mission  of   the  Church  Missionary    Society,    the   patients  were  Society  at 
assembled  in  a  wooden  building,  and  an  address  delivered  before 
they  went  in  to  see  the  doctor,  it  was  asserted  that  what  was  said 

M 


162 


Bible  Lands. 


Rev.  C.  T. 

Wilson. 


Educational 
work. 


Controver- 
sial books. 


Enquirers 
in  danger. 


Eastern 
forms  of 
Christianity 


could  be  heard  by  the  passers-by.  Orders  were  received  from  the 
governor  that  the  preaching  must  be  stopped,  unless  it  took  place 
in  some  room  in  the  interior  of  the  building,  where  the  sound 
of  the  voice  could  not  penetrate  to  the  street. 

Then  with  regard  to  educational  work.  The  peasantry  in 
Palestine  are  both  Moslems  and  Christians,  and  they  generally 
live  in  separate  villages.  One  village  will  be  a  Moslem  village ; 
and  another,  not  far  off,  a  Christian  village.  Now  Ave  are 
permitted  to  open  schools  in  Christian  villages,  but  we  are  not 
allowed  to  do  so  in  Moslem  villages.  One  of  the  few  means 
of  reaching  Mohammedans  is  through  their  children ;  and  we  can 
only  get  at  these  in  a  few  villages  in  which  Christians  as  well  as 
Moslems  reside. 

Then  another  difficulty  put  in  the  way  of  dealing  with  Moslems 
is,  that  we  dare  not  sell  books  dealing  with  the  Mohammedan 
religion  in  the  way  of  controversy.  We  keep  such  books,  but  in 
secret.  We  dare  not  sell  them,  or  expose  them  for  sale,  or  they 
would  be  confiscated. 

Then,  again,  any  person  attending  our  services  is  at  once 
suspected  of  enquiring  into  Christianity,  and  wishing  to  become  a 
Christian.  A  native  catechist,  who  happens  to  have  a  considerable 
number  of  friends  amongst  the  Moslems,  asked  one  of  them,  who 
was  enquiring  into  certain  things,  "  Why  do  you  not  come  to  our 
church  and  hear  for  yourself1?" 

The  reply  was,  "  I  dare  not.  I  may  go  to  the  Greek  church,  or 
Latin  church,  and  no  one  will  say  anything ;  but  I  dare  not  go  to 
the  Protestant  church.  I  should  be  suspected  at  once  of  wishing 
to  become  a  Christian." 

There  have  been  a  few  cases  of  public  confession,  but  most 
of  those  who  have  done  so  have  had  to  be  sent  away  to  Egypt,  or 
some  place  where  they  are  not  known. 

Then  another  difficulty  is  the  corrupt  forms  of  Christianity 
dominant  in  the  East;  and  as  it  is  with  these  forms  the  Moslems 
are  familiar,  one  can  hardly  wonder  that  they  do  not  care  to 
consider  the  claims  of  Christianity.  There  arc  many  churches  in 
the  East,  but  all  of  a  corrupt  form.  There  is  the  Greek  Church; 
the  Greek  Catholic  Church,  which  acknowledges  the  Pope  as 
head  ;  the  Latin  Church,  as  the  Roman  Catholics  arc  called 
in  the  East;  the  Coptic  Church;  the  Native  Syrian  Church;  and 
such  forms  as  the  Maronites  and  Nestorians.  All  these  arc  very 
corrupt.     Of  the   Roman  Catholic  Church   I  need  say  nothing; 


Work  in  Palestine.  163 

you  know  too  well  what  it  is.     As  to  the  Greek  Church,  it  is  Rev.  c.  t. 

Wilson1 

a  still  lower  form  of  Christianity  than  the  Koman  Catholic.  The 
priests  are  taken  from  the  lowest  class  of  people.  They  lead,  in 
most  cases,  fearfully  immoral  lives,  and  are  deplorably  ignorant. 
Then  the  Armenians  are  better ;  but  spiritual  life  among  them  is 
at  the  lowest  ebb  possible,  and  yet  they  preserve  in  some  shadowy 
way  the  form  of  Christianity.  The  state  of  these  churches  is  a 
great  difficulty. 

Then,   further,    the   rivalry  between  these  churches  produces  Rivalry 

'  '  J  l  between 

a  very  bad  state  of  things.  Money  is  freely  spent  in  supporting  sects. 
the  people  who  profess  to  belong  to  the  different  sects,  and  the 
people  can  see  nothing  wrong  in  this.  Frequently  people  say  to 
us,  "We  will  become  Protestants,  if  you  give  us  money  to 
live  upon."  We  can  scarcely  get  them  to  see  anything  wrong 
or  immoral  in  this.  Only  a  few  days  before  I  left  Jerusalem  a 
Greek  Catholic  woman  said  to  me,  "  I  will  become  a  Protestant,  if 
you  give  me  a  room  to  live  in."  I  explained  to  her  why  we 
could  not  do  it,  but  she  was  utterly  unable  to  understand  how 
there  could  be  anything  wrong  in  it.  The  moral  sense  has  been 
blunted  by  long  habit. 

Moreover,  the  grinding  oppression  of  the  peasantry  by  the  Oppression 
Turkish  Government  has  degraded  them  to  little  above  the  level 
of  beasts.  One  of  themselves  said  to  me  lately,  "  We  are  hardly 
better  than  our  cattle."  But  one  does  not  wonder  when  he  sees 
how  they  are  treated.  The  taxes  are  fearfully  oppressive.  I 
heard  the  other  day  of  a  garden,  the  annual  produce  of  which  was 
601bs.  of  fruit,  and  the  tax-gatherer  estimated  the  tenth  of  this 
(which  is  the  proper  tax)  at  901bs.,  or  one  half  more  than  the 
total  produce  of  the  land.  Then,  if  the  taxes  are  not  paid,  a 
company  of  Turkish  soldiers  is  quartered  in  the  village ;  and  their 
conduct  is  such  that  the  villagers  will  do  anything  and  pay 
anything  to  get  rid  of  them.  This  oppression  leads  to  all  sorts  of 
deception  and  evasions,  and  degrades  the  people  to  the  lowest 
level.  So  you  will  see  that  everything,  humanly  speaking,  is 
against  our  work.  God  has,  however,  given  us  some  blessing, 
although  much  of  the  seed  seems  to  fall  by  the  wayside.  Still, 
there  is  some  fruit  to  the  glory  of  God,  and  we  believe  there 
will  yet  be  reaping  from  the  sowing-time. 

Now  let  me  review  briefly  the  Avork  being  done  in  Palestine.  Thc  school 

J  &  work. 

There  are  many  societies,  both  large  and  small,  at  work.  The 
most  important,  in  some  respects,  is  the  educational  work.     Until 

m  2 


164 


Bible  Lands. 


Rev.  C.  T. 

Wilson. 


Moslem 
children. 


Ignorance 
of  the 
Moslems. 


Christian 
and  Moslem 
villages. 


Female 
Educal  [od 
Society. 

The 
Germans. 


Bishop  Gobat  came  to  Palestine,  there  was  nothing  done  in  the 
way  of  reaching  the  Arab -speaking  population;  but  he  began 
to  open  schools,  and  seeing  the  success  of  these,  the  Greeks  and 
Latins  commenced  schools  for  fear  the  children  should  become 
Protestants.  Then,  as  some  Mohammedan  children  were  attending, 
the  Government  took  alarm,  and  opened  schools.  The  Government 
insist  on  Moslem  children  going  to  Moslem  schools ;  but  very 
poor  schools  they  are,  and  the  education  given  is  a  mere  farce. 
In  one  school,  for  example,  in  the  district  under  my  charge,  the 
schoolmaster  is  blind,  and  you  can  understand  what  kind  of 
teaching  he  can  give.  If,  however,  the  Moslems  send  their  children 
to  our  schools  fines  are  inflicted,  and  sometimes  imprisonment. 
Notwithstanding  all  tins  the  Moslems  do,  in  many  cases,  send 
their  children  to  Protestant  schools,  because  it  is  well  understood 
that  the  children  are  much  better  educated  in  these  schools  than 
in  any  others ;  and  the  people  are  awaking  to  the  advantages  of 
education,  and  from  this  we  have  everything  to  hope  and  nothing 
to  fear.  One  great  difficulty  being  the  utter  ignorance  of  the 
people,  we  have  in  going  about  frequently  to  ask  the  people 
whether  they  can  read  or  write,  and  we  find  a  very  small  per- 
centage of  the  adult  Moslem  population  can  do  either ;  thus  they 
cannot  read  the  Word  of  God,  even  if  they  had  it.  In  the 
children,  however,  lies  our  hope  ;  for  they  can  read  to  their 
parents.  But  you  will  ask,  "How  do  you  get  any  Moslem 
children  at  alii"  We  do  get  some;  for  though  we  may  not 
open  a  school  in  a  Moslem  village,  we  may  in  a  mixed  village, 
and  then  too,  frequently  Moslems  send  their  children  from  then 
own  village  to  our  schools  in  some  neighbouring  Christian 
village.  In  one  case  the  Moslems  of  a  village  near  Jerusalem 
were  anxious  to  secure  education  for  their  children,  and  they 
have  asked  a  few  Christians  to  come  and  live  in  their  village, 
so  that  we  might  be  able  to  open  a  school  there.  The  fact  is 
they  have  discovered  that  our  schoolmasters  are  reliable  and  lil 
men,  and  that  the  children  are  better  taught  by  them  than  in 
the  Greek,  Armenian,  or  Moslem  schools;  thus,  should  there  ever 
lie  real  religious  Liberty,  all  our  schools  will  soon  contain  a  number 
of  Moslem  boys  and  girls. 

The  Female  Education  Society  lias  two  excellent  schools  at 
Bethlehem  and  Nazareth,  including  at  the  former  place  a  training 
school  for  teachers.  The  Germans  too  are  doing  a  good  worl<  in 
Jerusalem,  where  there  is  a  large  girls'  school  in  charge  of  the 


Work  in  Palestine.  165 

Kafserwerth  deaconesses,  and  a  large  boys'  orphanage  under  private  Rev.  c.  T. 
management.  The  Society  of  Friends  too  have  a  small  work. 
Then  there  is  a  good  work  at  Jaffa,  carried  on  by  a  Scotch  lady,  |$ends.0f 
Miss  Arnott,  who  admits  both  Jewish  and  Syrian  girls  into  her 
school.  But  in  the  way  of  direct  effort  the  most  important  work 
carried  on  in  Palestine  at  the  present  time  is  the  work  of  the 
n>/j><>rteur-evange\ists,  lately  set  on  foot  by  the  Church  Missionary  ^n«eifsts 
Society  and  Bible  Society  conjointly.  We  have  had  Palestine 
mapped  out  into  districts,  to  each  of  which  a  colporteur  is 
assigned.  They  endeavour  to  sell  Bibles  from  village  to  village, 
and  read  the  word  of  God  to  the  people.  Of  course  where  the 
villagers  are  so  ignorant  that  they  cannot  read  (and  only  about  one 
per  cent,  of  the  men  can  do  so)  the  sales  must  be  very  small,  but 
much  is  hoped  from  the  reading  of  the  word  of  God.  The  plan  Planof 
followed  by  the  colporteur  under  my  own  superintendence  is  this, 
he  has  mapped  out  his  district,  which  comprises  the  hilly  country 
of  Palestine  from  Nablus  (the  ancient  Shechem)  to  Hebron.  He 
starts  with  his  books,  taking  the  villages  one  by  one ;  staying  a 
night  here  and  there,  and  going  on  the  next  day.  So  he  gets  over 
the  district  in  about  four  months,  when  he  begins  again.  His 
sales  are  very  few ;  but  he  gets  the  people  together  in  the  guest- 
houses, and  reads  to  them  the  word  of  God,  and  teaches  them  the 
truths  of  religion. 

One  very  interesting  incident  occured  lately.  He  was  visiting  The  Bedouin 
a  small  village  near  Bethlehem  when  he  came  across  some 
Bedouin,  amongst  whom  he  had  never  previously  been  able  to 
work.  They  were  friendly,  and  he  received  an  invitation  from 
them  to  accompany  them  for  a  few  days.  After  consulting  with 
me  he  joined  them,  and  spent  a  week  amongst  this  tribe,  reading 
to  them,  and  telling  them  the  gospel.  Of  course  these  wandering  ^]am*ds 
tribes  are  intensely  ignorant,  and  hardly  any  of  the  men  can 
read;  but  it  is  a  great  thing  to  have  an  opening  to  read  God's 
word  to  them,  and  to  explain  it.  Thus  this  work  of  distributing 
and  reading  the  word  of  God  has  been  very  encouraging,  and  has 
indirectly  proved  of  great  importance  in  opening  the  way  to  these 
Bedouin  of  the  desert.  The  Turkish  Government  have  of  course 
tried  to  put  a  stop  to  it ;  but  it  is  directly  protected  by  treaty ;  ^j££3. 
and  we  showed  the  officials  there  is  a  treaty  distinctly  giving  the 
right  to  such  men  to  travel  unmolested  about  the  country,  and  in 
one  instance  where  a  colporteur  was  interfered  with,  the  consul 
insisted  on  the   treaty  being  respected.     Then  this  work  is  also 


166  Bible  Lands. 

iiev.  c.t.    bitterly  opposed  by  the  Roman  Catholics,  who  find  that  the  wide 

WlLSON. 

circulation  of  the  word  of  God  among  the  people  is  weakening 

a  Jesuit       their  position.     So  much  do  they  dread  this  effort  that,  l>y  way  of 
translation,  ,  .         .        .        T  J  •111 

counteracting  it,  the  Jesuit  priests  have  actually  published    the 

whole  Bible  in  the  language  of  the  people  ;  and  a  good  translation 

it  is  as  far  as  I  have  seen.    They  have  put  at  the  end  a  number  of 

notes  explaining  away  passages  that  tell  against  them,  such  as  our 

Lord's  rebuke  to  Peter ;  but  we  all  know  how  few  people  think  of 

reading  notes  at  the  end  of  a  book.     So   I  expect  a  good  deal 

from  it,  because,  coining  as  it  does  from  Jesuit  priests,  the  Roman 

Catholics  will  read  it,  and  we  know  what  the  result  of  reading 

the  Avord  of  God  has  been  in  every  country  amongst  the  followers 

of  the  Church  of  Rome. 

Medical  Just  a  word  about  Medical  Missions.     It  is  a  work  of  very 

Mission  _ 

work.  great  importance.     I  wish  there  were    more  Medical  Missions  in 

the  East.  Nowhere  does  our  Lord's  plan  of  preaching  the. 
gospel  and  healing  the  sick  prove  more  effective  than  amongst 
Mohammedans,  who  will  come  for  bodily  healing  if  for  nothing 
else.  There  is  such  a  mission  in  Es-salt  (the  ancient  Ramoth- 
Gilead)  and  Nazareth,  and  in  the  extreme  south  at  Gaza  and 
at  Jerusalem.  Then  the  Friends  have  a  Medical  Mission  at 
Ramallah,  and  the  Germans  at  Hebron,  knocking  at  the  back 
door  of  Arabia.     By  this  means  a  great  deal  may  be  done  amongst 

Opening  for  the  Bedouin.     Any  Christian  medical  man  who  would  be  content 

a  Christian  ° 

Heal        to  dwell  amongst  them,   and  travel  with   them,   would  gain   an 
enormous  influence  over  them,  and  do  a  real  solid  work  amongst 
them. 
Other  I  should  also  say  there  is  a  Presbyterian  mission  at  Tiberias. 

missions  in  .  .  . 

theHoly  The  last  Medical  Mission  1  will  mention,  but  the  most  im- 
portant of  all,  is  the  noble  work  in  which  Mildmay  is  so  deeply 
interested,  begun  by  Miss  Mangan  at  Jaffa,  and  now  carried  on  by 
the  Misses  Newton  and  Nicholson.  That  work  is  a  very  prosperous 
one  indeed,  and  its  influence  extends  all  over  the  Holy  Land. 
Then,  on  the  oilier  extreme  of  the  land,  there  is  in  the  Hainan 
(ancient  Bashan)  another  good  work  going  on  under  the  Church 
Missionary  Society. 

Thus   I   have    given   you   a   very   brief    account    of    the   work 
carried  on  in  Palestine.     That  work  appears  to  bring  forth  as  yei 

Thedoor       ]iut  little  fruit,   but  the   seed  sown    shall    spring   up.      The  Arab- 
opening  mlo  '  1.1 

Arabia.  speaking  population  is  decreasing,  but  through  Palestine  the  door 
is  opening  into  the  desert  of  Arabia.    There  1  have  greal  hopes     for 


man 


Missions  in  Turkey.  167 

there  the  Bedouin  has  never  heard  the  gospel  of  Christ.    Abraham's  Rev.  c.  t. 

°  .  "Wilson. 

prayer  for  Ishmael  has  never  yet  been  answered  in  its  fulness,  but 
it  will  be  answered.  We  know  that  God  has  a  great  future  in 
store  for  that  great  nation,  the  children  of  Ishmael,  the  true 
Arabians.  May  God  stir  some  to  come  out  and  give  themselves  to 
this  work ;  for  there  seems  a  wonderful  opening  among  these 
people,  who  have  never  yet  been  reached.  I  think  no  young 
Christian  medical  man  could  hud  a  nobler  and  more  God- 
glorifying  work  than  going  out  to  live  and  serve  amongst  these 
wandering  desert  tribes. 

After  prayer  by  the   Eev.   John  Wilkinson,   hymn   No.   23 

was  sung —         .,_        .     .  ,  m.        .  ,  , 

Spread,  on,  spread,  thy  mighty  word, 

Spread  the  kingdom  of  the  Lord  !" 
The  following  address  was  uiven  on 


MISSIONS     IN     TURKEY. 

By  Eev.  C.  H.  Brookes. 

Dear  Christian  Friends, — My  theme  is  a  very  large  and  broad  Rev.  c.  h. 
one,  not  only  because  Turkey  is  a  very  large  country,  but  also 
because  of    the   vast   number  of    different    people   it    contains,  Turkey  and 

i  it-  n  its  peoples. 

varying  in  language,  race,  and  religion,  as  well  as  m  manners, 
customs,  and  aspiration,  in  present  position  and  in  future 
prospect. 

Let  me  endeavour  to  give  you  a  bird's-eye  view  of  Christian 
work  going  on  in  Turkey.  First,  I  think  of  the  noble  work 
being  done  by  our  sisters,  who  have  come  out  from  this  mother 
land,  and  who  are  labouring  (independently  of  any  society)  in 
Turkey.  I  may  mention,  first  of  all,  Miss  Mangan's  well-known 
work  in  Jaffa.  I  met  her  on  the  occasion  of  her  two  visits  to 
Constantinople,  whither  she  came  to  endeavour  to  secure  a  firman 
for  the  erection  of  her  hospital.  We  had  the  privilege  of 
welcoming  her  to  our  home,  and  there  I  heard  from  her  own  lips 
the  story  of  her  work,  just  before  her  feet  reached  the  further 
shore.  I  have  since  told  the  Greeks  in  our  church  in  Constanti- 
nople the  story  of  her  saintly  and  unselfish  life,  and  it  has 
impressed   them   deeply.       When    she   passed    to   her   rest,    her 


Ib8  Bible  Lands. 

uev.  c.  h     precious  legacy  at  Jaffa  was  accepted  by  other  noble  ladies  from 

Brook  vs.        *  i 

Mildmay,  who  now  carry  it  on  in  a  blessed  manner. 

Constants-         Then  there  are  other  departments  of    independent  work   also 

noplc  and  .    .  ,  7     ' 

Smyrna  carried  on  by  ladies,  as  the  Sailors'  Rests  at  Smyrna  and  Coil- 
Rests 

stantinople,  with  which  are  associated  the  names  of  Miss  Grimston 

and   Miss   West.     These  rests  we  value  very   highly,   not  only 

I  (('cause    of    the    important   service    they    render    to    sailors    and 

other  visitors,  but  also  because  of   the  help  they  are  to  us  in 

our  work,   affording   us  places  in   which   to   preach   to   Greeks, 

Armenians,  and  Turks,  and  being  to  ourselves — the  workers — an 

inspiration.     Those   who   know    anything  of    the    work   done   in 

these  rests  will  not  grudge  the  minute  or  two  I  devote  to  speaking 

of    them  ;    and  indeed,  in   commending  such   work,   I  feel  as  if 

trying  to  gild  the  fine  gold.     God  has  blessed  the  work  greatly 

amongst  the  seamen  visiting  the  East.    May  He  be  pleased  to  bless 

it  still  more  abundantly. 

WorkinCon-      ]vj"ow  as  to  societies.    There  are  at  Constantinople  the  Church  of 
stantinopJe.  .  i 

England  Mission  to  the  Jews,  and  the  Church  of  Scotland  Mission 

to  the  Jews,  both  labouring  amongst  the  Spanish-speaking  Jews. 
There  is  also  the  Free  Church  of  Scotland  work  amongst  German- 
speaking  Jews.  We  maintain  the  most  friendly  relations  with 
all  these,  and  God  lias  blessed  them  all.  There  may  be  now 
present  in  this  room  living  witnesses  testifying  to  the  practical 
results  of  these  efforts,  and  particularly  the  Free  Church  Mission 
to  the  German  Jews.      Then   there  is  the   Southern  American 

_,  Presbyterian    Missions    working    amongst    the    Greeks    in    the 

Greece,  J  o  o 

Turkish  provinces  adjoining  Greece.  In  Greece  itself  there  is  an 
interesting  work  ;  and  although  it  is  not  part  of  Turkey,  the 
work  done  there  touches  ours  very  closely.  There  Dr.  Kalopo- 
thakes  and  his  helpers  are  trying  a  very  interesting  experiment  in 
making,  if  possible,  the  Greek  Protestant  churches  self-supporting 
and  independent.  It  is  felt  that  it  will  be  an  important  advantage 
gained  should  these  Greeks  be  able  to  manage  their  own  work. 
For  one  thing,  thee  brethren  of  the  Greek  Church  will  not 
be  able  to  say  that  the  evangelists  and  pastors  of  the  Protestants 
are  merely  paid  agents  of  the  foreigner.  We  believe  it  will  add 
greatly  to  the  power  of  these  evangelist  labourers  when  they  are 
seen  to  be  indigenous  and  independent,  for — call  it  pride,  or  what 
you  will — the  Greeks  are  jealous  of  what  is  foreign  and  imported. 
For  this  reason  a  most  capable  and  godly  young  Greek,  whom 
we    invited    to   come    to  Constantinople   and    take  charge  of  one 


Missions  in  Turkey.  169 

of    our  schools   and   work   amongst   his   fellow-Greeks,    refused,  Rev.  c.  n. 

t  i  Brookes. 

saying,  "1  must  settle  down  at  Athens;  earn  my  own  bread,  and 
labour  for  Christ,  proving  that  I  do  not  preach  the  gospel  for 
gain." 

Now  passing  on  to  our  own  American  Board  of  Missions.     Our  American 

1  °  _  Board  of 

great  aim  is  to  evangelize  the  Mohammedan  population ;  for  that  Missions. 
reason  we  went  to  the  East,  for  that  reason  we  stay  there.  The 
door,  however,  was  shut ;  but  at  the  same  time  amongst  the 
Armenian  churches  there  was  a  considerable  awakening,  and  they 
were  ready  to  welcome  the  gospel  preachers.  So  for  many  years 
our  missionaries  laboured  in  harmony  with  the  Armenian  church,  ^jenian 
preaching  in  their  pulpits  and  using  their  churches  and  other  churches. 
edifices.  Then  came  a  time  of  bitter,  bitter  persecution.  As 
the  people  became  Bible  readers  they  began  to  exercise  the  right 
of  private  judgment,  and  could  not  but  see  that  many  things 
done  and  commended  by  the  Armenian  church  were  contrary  to 
the  word  of  God.  This  led  to  tremendous  opposition  on  the 
part  of  church  dignitaries  and  other  ecclesiastics,  and  many  on 
the  mere  suspicion  of  evangelical  leanings  were  cast  out  of  church 
and  position.  What  was  to  be  done  1  For  remember  that  in 
Turkey  this  carries  with  it  civil  penalties.  As  members  of  a  social 
recognized  church  these  people  enjoyed  the  right  to  live  and 
trade  and  worship ;  but  when  cast  out,  they  not  only  lost 
religious  rights,  but  they  also  lost  all  claim  to  social  rights  of  any 
kind.  They  could  not  follow  their  trade  or  earn  their  bread. 
Being  cast  out  of  the  recognized  Armenian  church,  they  forfeited 
all  claim  to  live  at  all.  This  being  so,  we  felt  we  had  no  resource 
but  to  form  them  into  a  native   Protestant   church,   and   seek  a  native 

Protestant 

recognition  for  that  church,  so  that  its  members  might  recover  church, 
their  social  rights.  So  came  about  the  founding  of  the  Protestant 
Oriental  Church,  which  is  now  fairly  well  organised,  and  many  of 
the  congregations  of  which  are  self-supporting,  and  under  the 
charge  of  native  pastors.  Thus  our  own  work  has  lain  in  a 
large  measure  amongst  these  eastern  Christians.  We  have  never 
forgotten   our   missions   to  the   Mohammedans,    but  we   believe  m    ,   , 

°  .  The  Moham- 

that  the  best  missionaries  to  the  Mohammedans  will  be  these  medans. 
Protestant  natives.  In  so  helping  them  we  are  doing  our  best 
to  remove  the  terrible  hindrance  already  referred  to,  for  I  fully 
agree  with  the  preceding  speaker  as  to  the  grievous  stumbling- 
block  placed  in  the  way  of  the  Moslems  by  the  merely  nominal 
Christians  dwelling  amongst  them.     The  greatest  hindrance  every- 


170  Bible  Lands. 

Rev.  o.  h.    where  to  the  spread  of   vital  Christianity  is  the   presence  in  it 

Beookei  . 

and  about  it  of  merely  nominal  Christianity.  We  do  not  help 
these  Christians  merely  for  their  own  sakes,  but  we  help  them 
that  we  may  be  able  to  say  to  them,  Upon  yon  and  not  upon 
us,  upon  yon  and  your  faithfulness,  depends  the  evangelization 
of  your  Mohammedan  neighbours.  Nov.'  seek  to  conquer  those 
who  conquered  you.  You  have  a  grand  opportunity  to  over- 
come evil  with  good.  We  will  help  you,  dear  brethren,  to  tit 
yourselves  to  become  earnest  and  fruitful  labourers  amongst  the 
Moslems. 

TheRoijert        As  to  the  details  of  our  work  I  cannot  qx>  into  them   to  any 

College.  °  J 

extent.     I  must  give  some  little  account  of   Robert  College,    at 

Constantinople.     Although  it  is  not  strictly  speaking  a  missionary 

institution,  its  influence  is  most  valuable.      It  was,  1  may  venture 

to  say,  really  the  birthplace  of  Bulgarian  independence.     What 

Bulgaria  is  to  become  we  know  not.     We  turn  to  it  with  hopeful 

eyes,   trusting  it  is  hut  (be  beginning  of   a  great  independent 

Christian  state  in  the  East.      Our  three  missionaries  in  .A 

Turkey  are  largely  confined  to  Armenians,  but  we   labour  also 

among  the  Greeks.     We  have  now  nearly  a  hundred  evangelical 

churches,  some  of  which  are  not  only  self-supporting,  but  have 

become  mothers  and  even  grandmothers  of  other  churches.     They 

collegia.08  are  stretching  out  their  hands  in  preaching  the  gospel  they  have 
themselves.  In  Marash,  for  example,  we  have  three  large 
evangelical  Armenian  churches,  with  congregations  numbering  six, 
eight,  and  ten  hundred  people,  and  doing  a.  great  work. 

Of  course  a  great  deal  is  done,  and  very  successfully,  in  the  way 
of  educational  efforts.  Our  Board  has  been  compelled  by  Cod's 
providence  (almost-  against  its  will,  being  afraid  it  should  drop 
down  from  purely  evangelistic  work  and  the  direct  preaching  of 
the  gospel  into  secular  work)  to  take  up  more  ami  more  the 
educational  work,  and  a  great  work  it  is  proving.  Thus  we  have 
in  different  pari  of  Turkey  several  colleges,  and  four  at  least 
theological  schools.  There  are  also  many  nigh  schools  ami  common 
day  schools. 

Women's  Mildmay  has  a  keen  interest  in  women's  work  for  women,  and 

work  for        ...    .  .  c     .        .  _, 

that  is  a  very  important  part  of  the  American  wort  in  Lurkey. 
Let  me  speak  of  the  -iris'  school  of  "Home"  at  Constantinople. 
Tin's  school  is  of  the  highest  grade,  and  in  it-  hundreds  are  being 
trained  for  service  for  Christ.  It  is  a  work  in  which  the  women 
of  America    take  special   interest.      It-   occupies   at   Scutari    two 


women. 


Missions  in  Turkey.  171 

beautiful  buildings  in  very  fine  grounds,  and  it  is  doing  a  splendid  Rev.  c.  h. 
work.     Girls  of    all  nationalities,    Mussulmen  included,    receive 
there  in  common  a  Christian  education  of  a  high  order. 

One   other   special   point   of    interest  is  the   Bible  House  in  H^lble 
Constantinople,  the  head-quarters  and  depot  of  the  British  and 
Foreign  and  American  Bible  Societies,  and  our  mission  offices. 
It  is  indeed  a  splendid  centre  of  Christian  influence  and  effort. 

Now  of  the  work  amongst  the  Mussulmen  I  must  speak  for  a 
moment  or  two.  It  has  been  exceedingly  difficult,  and  yet  there 
has  been  very  important  seed  sowing,  which  will  bring  forth  fruit  Seed-time, 
in  the  Lord's  time.  From  the  conclusion  of  the  Crimean  war  there 
has  been  an  annual  circulation  amongst  Mohammedans  of  about 
five  thousand  copies  of  the  word  of  God  in  whole  or  part.  Now 
five  thousand  multiplied  by  thirty  makes  a  considerable  number  of 
portions  of  the  Word  (about  150,000)  in  the  Osmanli  tongue,  and 
confined  to  Mussulmen.  And  besides  this  the  educated  Turks 
read  French,  English,  or  German,  and  may  buy  and  read  the 
Scriptures  in  these  tongues.  It  is  quite  true  we  have  not  seen 
much  fruit ;  but  we  cannot  but  believe  and  know  it  must  produce 
fruit,  and  fruit  which  will  yet  appear.  The  seed  sown  is 
germinating  slowly  in  many  hearts,  and  the  day  will  come  (very 
soon,  I  think)  of  ingathering — the  day  of  harvest  from  the 
Moslem  population  of  Turkey.  The  Government  is  more  and 
more  hostile  to  our  work,  and  this  I  take  to  be  a  very  high 
compliment ;  for  so  long  as  our  influence  was  confined  to  the 
Christians,  the  Government  did  not  in  the  least  care  what  we 
did  ;  but  now  that  it  is  seen  we  are  influencing  the  Mohammedans, 
as  it  has  always  been  our  aim  to  do  through  the  Christians,  they 
are  determined  to  thwart  us  in  every  way  they  can.  The  work  is 
touching  their  own  people ;  there  have  been  some  converts,  and 
many  are  interested  in  the  preaching  of  the  Word,  and  so  they  Mussulmen 
are  drawing  the  lines  about  us  tighter  and  tighter,  forbidding  us 
to  open  places  of  worship,  closing  our  schools  where  they  can,  and 
preventing  our  opening  others ;  in  fact,  in  many  ways  hindering 
our  work. 

Yet  I  believe  the  time  is  quickly  coming  when  there  will  be  a  Converts 

-r  -,   l  1  !  ■  T  IV,li" 

vast  change  in  this  matter.     I  would  say,  that  during  the  past  Mohammed- 
year  two  young  Mohammedans  were  baptized  in  Constantinople. 
One,  in  order  to  be  free  to  study  the  word  of  God,  and  fit  himself 
for  future  service,  left  the  country  and  went  to  America — to  him 
the  land  of  liberty.     In  going,  he  said,  "  It  will  be  heaven  there." 


anism. 


172  Bible  Lands. 

Kev.  c.  h.    Think   of    going    to  America  to  find  heaven.     Would   he  have 

Brookes. 

found  it  here,  if  he  had  stopped  on  his  way  out? 
what  can  "  Now,"  you  ask,  "what  can  we  do  here?     We  are  not  repre- 

Bnglanddo?  ,  ,        ,  .  l 

sented  by  these  societies  labouring  in  Turkey.  What  can  we  do 
for  this  work  in  the  Levant1?"  You  can  do  a  great  deal  for  us. 
We  do  not  ask  your  money,  or  your  sons  and  daughters,  these  we 
find  in  America;  but  we  do  ask,  first  of  all,  that,  so  far  as 
you  can,  you  would  draw  together  here  in  England.  One  great 
hindrance  to  our  work  in  Constantinople  is  the  spirit  of  sectarian- 
ism that  has  come  in  during  the  past  few  years.  I  take  it  that 
Mildmay  has  been  set  up  to  remove,  as  far  as  possible  in  this 
respect,  the  difference  between  evangelical  Christians,  and  draw 
them  nearer  to  one  another  in  the  common  bond  of  brotherly 
love.  So  long  as  these  differences  are  accentuated,  we  cannot 
wonder  if  later  duplicates  of  our  Western  'isms  and  sub-'isms 
spring  up  in  the  East.  Why  could  not  evangelical  Christians 
be  all  one,  helping  one  another,  instead  of  labouring  to  pull 
one  another  down  1 

Pray  for  us.  And  then  pray  for  all  the  world.  Your  prayers  need  not  be 
confined  to  the  Church  Missionary  Society  and  London  Missionary 
Society,  and  other  English  missions,  but  pray  for  the  whole 
earth,  for  the  name  and  sake  of  Him  to  whom  the  Father  said, 
"  Ask  of  Me,  and  I  will  give  Thee  the  heathen  for  Thine  inherit- 
ance." Let  us  ask  of  the  Father,  "Father,  give  Thy  Son  now 
this  Levant,  this  East,  these  Mussulmen,  these  nominal  Christians, 
these  ,]i.-\y*,  give  them  to  Thy  Son."  How  many  Christians  have 
-om;  abroad,  and  spent  money  and  strength  and  toil,  yet  with 
little  apparent  result  !  Have  you  prayed  earnestly  and  believingly 
for  this  great  promise  of  the  Father  to  the  Son  1 

An  Ere  I  close,  I  must  tell  you    there  has  been  a  great  change 

unlettered  .  do 

woman.  during  the  past  few  years  at  Smyrna,  and  our  Greek  brethren 
ascribe  it  all  to  out'  plain,  unlettered  woman  who  went  out 
lo  help  Miss  Grimston.  She  went  amongst,  the  people.  She 
could  not  speak  a  word  to  them  in  their  tongue,  but  she  would 
get  them  down  on  their  knees  and  pray  with  diem  and  for  them  ; 
and  though  they  could  not  understand  what  she  said,  they  felt  the 
power  of  God,  and  began  to  pray  for  themselves.  Thus  a  good 
work  was  begun  in  Smyrna,  and  begun  by  prayer. 

Then  I  might  tell  a  great  deal  of  the  work  of  the  Greek 
Evangelical  Alliance  in  Smyrna  and  neighbourhood,  but  I  must 
hasten   on.      L    have    asked  you    to   draw   together  more,    to   pray 


Work  in  Spain.  173 

for  us ;  but,  I  would  add,  the  best  and  highest  thing  you  can  Rev.  c.  h. 
do  for  missions  is  not  merely  to  attend  conferences  and  talk  about 
it;  not  merely  to  pray,  or  even  to  give,  but  to  be  Christ-like. 
The  example  of  England  is  felt  by  all  the  world,  and  England 
is  composed  of  individuals.  When  this  old  England  and  the 
newer  England  across  the  sea  are  full  of  Christ,  we  shall  know  it 
in  the  East;  and  Turkey  and  the  Levant  shall  feel  the  power, 
and  shall  be  led  to  seek  the  knowledge  of  the  Lord.  Had 
England  been  full  of  Christ,  would  a  man  who  had  dwelt  among 
you,  and  who  had  been  baptized  hi  the  name  of  Christ,  have 
gone  back  and  lapsed  into  Islamism1?  Would  that  have  been 
possible  had  you  surrounded  and  permeated  him  with  the  spirit  of 
Christ?  Such  a  terrible  fall  would  have  been  an  impossibility 
had  he  breathed  here  a  truly  Christ-like  atmosphere.  Be  then 
Christ-like  more  and  more.  It  is  the  best  gift  you  can  bestow 
upon  us.  It  is  the  gift  I  ask  of  you.  Our  theme  is  Bible-lands, 
from  these  lands  came  our  Bible.  Let  us  in  dear  old  England 
send  back  lives  moulded  according  to  the  Bible,  so  that  we  who 
live  and  labour  in  the  Levant  may  read,  preach,  and  teach  a 
life  manifested  here ;  in  a  word,  let  England  be  a  Bible-land, 
so  that  all  who  desire  to  know  the  life  the  Bible  sets  forth 
may  have  but  to  turn  their  eyes  to  the  out-and-out  Bible- 
Christians  in  this  land. 


WORK     IN     SPAIN. 

By  Mr.  T.  Blamire. 
It  is  nearly  fourteen  years  since  Mr.  Wigstone  and  myself  were  Mr-  T- 

Blamire. 

led  to  go  to  Spain,  not  in  connection  with  any  society  or  com- 
mittee,  but   simply   trusting   in   the    Lord   for   everything,    and 
looking  to  our  Father  to  supply  all  our  need.     Our  work  lies  in  work  in 
north-west  Spain.     In  1875  we  went  to   Corunna,   and  took   a  ' 
locale  for  preaching  the  gospel.     Then  we  went  to  the  governor 
to  obtain  his  permission  to  open  the  place.     His  reply  was,  "I 
prohibit  any  public  teaching,  and  am  very  sorry  I  cannot  put  you  T,      . 
in  gaol  now."     We  went  to  the  British  Consul,  and  he  said,  "  Go  with  gaol, 
and  tell  the  governor  from  me  that  you  are  going  to  open  the 
place  on  such  and  such  a  clay."     We  willingly  went  and  did  so. 
He  flew  into  a  great  rage,  and  telegraphed  to  Madrid  against  us. 


174  Bible  Lands. 

Mr.  t.         He  got  a  reply,  but  not  at  all  what  he  expected.     He  was  in  fact 

Blamire.  °  I 

told,  "  You  had  better  not  touch  these  gentlemen  •  and,  moreover, 
in  the  event  of  any  row  we  will  hold  you  responsible."  Thus  he 
was  obliged  to  yield,  and  he  sent  seven  policemen  to  protect  us. 
So  the  work  commenced  there,  and  it  has  gone  on  well.  Many 
have  been  called  out  of  darkness  into  light,  blessed  be  His  holy 
name.  I  give  you  that  story  of  the  beginning  because  it  is 
illustrative  of  experiences  in  many  places.  Over  and  over  again 
we  have  seen  the  good  hand  of  our  God  upon  us  just  when  the 
enemy  seemed  about  to  swallow  us  up. 

rt^ke  In  due  time  as  the  interest  spread  we  opened  other  places  in 

villages  and  towns  in  the  district,  and  now  we  have  some  eight  to 
ten  locales  opened  for  the  preaching  of  the  Word  and  for  the 
worship  of  God  in  north-west  Spain.  Our  difficulties  have  been 
great — men  have  opposed  us  bitterly,  we  have  heen  taken  prisoners, 
have  been  threatened  with  fourteen  years'  imprisonment — no 
pleasant  prospect  for  any  who  know  what  a  Spanish  gaol  is. 
Some  of  our  converts  have  been  imprisoned,  and  some  are  even 
now  on  trial  for  Christ's  sake — of  course  on  trumped-up  charges, 
for  it  is  not  legal  to  imprison  a.  man  for  becoming  a  Protestant. 
You  will  be  interested  to  know  that  the  last  two  places  we  have 

of  Portugal!  °Pene(l  are  just  on  the  border  of  Portugal;  the  one  is  at  Marin, 
a  little  seaport  town,  and  the  other  in  a  village  close  by.  "When 
we  first  went  to  Marin  thousands  came  to  hear  and  see  us,  chiefly 
through  curiosity.  They  had  heard  such  extraordinary  things 
about  the  Protestant  heretics,  probably  some  did  not  know 
whether  to  find  us  like  monkeys,  or  human  elephants,  or  what. 
They  came  to  the  meetings,  and  when  they  came  we  preached  the 
gospel  to  them,  and  the  Lord  saved  sonls.  The  priests  were 
thoroughly  roused,  and  got  us  put  out  of  our  house ;  others  came 
to  exorcise,  as  we  suppose,  the  evil  spirits  of  devils  which  had 
emanated  from  the  heretics.  They  even  gol  up  a  story  that  the 
sea  had  heen  excommunicated  because  of  our  desecrating  it  by 
baptizing  some  130  persons,  and  there  were  to  he  no  fish.  They 
got  up  stories  that  those  who  should  become  Protestants  would 
by-and  by  lie  sent  to  England,  and  there  forced  to  become  soldiers, 
and  be  sent  to  war,  and  put  in  the  front  of  the  battle  and  shot 
down.  No  story  was  too  ridiculous  for  them.  Eowever,  we  had 
a  place  holding  about  300,  and  it  was  constantly  well  Idled;  and 
now  there  are  1 10  to  150  truly  converted  people. 

Then  in  the  village  (San  Tome)  i  have  referred  to  an  interest 


Work  in  Spain.  175 

was  awakened,  and  now  we  have  got  a  new  hall  built.     The  first  Mr.  t. 

convert,  a  young  unmarried  woman,  being  converted  herself,  gave,    ,,AMIEE- 

we  might  say,  everything  to  the  Lord.     She  had  a  cottage  and  a  "An  she 

little  garden  attached  to  it,  which  she  sold  and  gave  us  the  money 

to  help  to  build.     Then  she  had  a  piece  of  ground,  and  she  gave 

it  to  build  a  hall  upon.     We  have  now  a  splendid  one — i.e.  for 

Spain — to  hold  about  three  hundred.     The  story  of  the  hall  is  A  worthy 

story. 

worthy  of  Christian  history.  Some  gave  money,  others  gave 
their  work.  After  their  day's  work  was  over  they  would  go  with 
us  to  work  all  night,  to  get  stones  from  the  quarry,  put  them  in 
carts,  and  yoke  themselves  as  horses  to  the  carts,  and  pull  the 
stones  to  the  site  for  the  hall.  Thus  they  helped  to  build  the 
hall.  We  have  been  at  it  for  months,  and  God  has  helped  us 
wonderfully. 

Then,  I  should  tell  you,  at  Pontevedra  we  had  a  Roman  Catholic  The  Roman 

'  J       '  .  Catholic 

priest  converted,  for  many  years  the  parish  priest.  He  used  to  priest. 
go  to  our  house  at  night  to  read  the  Scriptures,  and  enquire  into 
the  truth ;  and  my  wife  had  to  hide  his  hat,  and  I  had  to  make 
myself  as  broad  as  possible  to  hide  him.  He  knew  nothing  of 
the  word  of  God,  and  if  we  asked  him  to  turn  to  Genesis  he 
would  probably  look  in  the  Revelation :  we  had  to  find  the 
place  for  him  at  first.  He  read  with  us  night  after  night,  and  at 
last  his  eyes  were  opened,  and  God  saved  his  soul.  Then  he 
came  out  and  made  a  public  confession,  and  one  of  the  first 
words  he  said  was,  "We  priests  are  liars."  It  was  only  too  true. 
Oh,  friends,  it  is  terrible  to  see  Avhat  Rome  has  done  for  that 
beautiful  country  !  The  Lord  deliver  her  from  its  clutches, 
and  England  too  !  Rome  is  a  little  Avhitewashed  here,  but  she 
is  just  the  same  as  ever  where  she  has  the  power.  Well,  Don 
Castor,  this  converted  priest,  was  cruelly  persecuted,  was  cast  into 
prison  by  the  archbishop,  and  we  thought  he  might  never  come 
out  alive,  for  even  the  gaoler  and  gaoler's  wife  were  bitterly  against 
him,  and  hated  us.  The  little  church  at  Marin  cried  to  God  for 
him,  and  God  did  help.  When  the  civil  guards  went  to  take 
him  to  Santiago,  where  the  archbishop  lived,  the  gaoler's  wife 
said,  "He  is  ill  in  lied."  It  was  quite  true.  They  had  given 
him  a  dose  just  before  that  purposely  to  make  him  ill,  to  save 
him  from  public  disgrace.  Then  the  trial  came  on,  and  it  proved  charges. 
a  got-up  case  entirely.  They  did  not  charge  him  with  becoming 
a  Protestant,  the  law  would  not  allow  that,  but  made  out  some 
charges  against  him  of  a  fictitious  nature.     They  often  do  this. 


176  Bible  Lands. 

Mr.  t.  Another  sister  was  charged  with  shutting  her  door  while  a 
funeral  was  passing  hy,  and  a  brother  with  not  taking  his  hat  off 
and  kneeling  before  the  host  as  it  was  carried  along  the  street. 
In  this  way  we  have  many  difficulties  and  much  opposition,  but 
at  the  same  time  God  is  continually  giving  us  blessing.  It  is 
always  fresh  battles,  and  fresh  fights,  and  fresh  victories  for  Him. 
He  helps  us  forward.  It  is  our  desire  to  go  forward  for  His 
name's  sake,  and  we  mean  to  go  forward,  come  what  will. 

After  prayer  by  Dr.  Baedeker,  hymn  No.  34  was  sung,  and 
the  proceedings  concluded. 

"  Hail  to  the  Lord's  Anointed  ; 
Great  David's  greater  Son  !" 


A  DISMISSAL  SERVICE. 

Thursday   Afternoon,   October   7th,   1886. 


An  interesting  and  practical  response  to  the  cry  which  had  been 
sounding  throughout  the  days  of  Conference  for  "  more  labourers  " 
was  given  in  the  valedictory  service  on  Thursday  afternoon,  when 
fourteen  ladies  were  dismissed  to  the  Lord's  service  in  the  foreign 
field.  Major-General  Haig,  E.E.,  presided,  and  after  the  singing 
of  hymn  No.  23 — 

"  Spread,  oh,  spread,  Thy  mighty  word, 
Spread  the  kingdom  of  the  Lord  !" 

the  Rev.  LI.  Lloyd,  of  Foochow,  presented  prayer  and  read  a 
portion  of  Scripture — Luke  viii.  1-3.  The  following  opening- 
address  was  then  given : 


ENCOURAGEMENT  FOE  LABOURERS. 

By  Major-General  Haig. 

It  seems  to  me  that  every  recurring  anniversary  of  this  kind,  g^,r"Gen" 
when   we   meet   together   to   bid   farewell   to   a   fresh   band   of 
labourers  going   out   to   the   great   heathen   world,    becomes   in- A  fl"csh 

co  o  band. 

creasingly  solemn.  All  the  circumstances  of  the  world  around, 
all  the  vast  movements  going  on  on  every  side,  evidence  in  a 
wonderful  way  that  God  is  working  in  these  latter  days,  and  that 
He  is  preparing  to  pour  out  His  Spirit  in  a  remarkable  manner  in 
our  times.  All  these  things  put  together,  with  the  consideration 
that  the  time  is  short,  and  becoming  shorter  and  shorter  as  years 
pass  on,  does  increase  the  solemnity  of  occasions  such  as  this. 
Yet  to-day,  as  we  look  forward  to  what  lies  before  us,  and  look 
upon  these  sisters  going  forth,  our  feeling  should  be  one  mainly  of 
joyful  anticipation  and  hope.     The  great  ground  for  that  is  surely 


178  A  Dismissal  Service. 

Major-Gen.  almost  entirely  this,  that  in  this  great  work,  so  utterly  beyond  all 
possibility  of  accomplishment  by  human  means,  in  this  great  work 
the  comfort,  the  strength  of  our  hearts,  the  great  source  of 
confidence  and  rejoicing  is  this,  that  God  is  with  us.  We  are 
quite  certain  that  these  sisters  going  forth  to-day  are  going  in 
obedience  to  the  Lord's  command ;  and  most  assuredly  He  who 
gave  the  command,  and  coupled  thereto  that  great  promise,  will 
fulfil  it.  He  will  be  with  them  to  the  end,  holding  them  up  day 
by  day  and  hour  by  hour,  carrying  them  through  all  the  difficulties 
they  will  meet  with,  giving  all  the  grace  ami  guidance  needed, 
and  crowning  that  work  with  success  in  His  own  time. 
Fourteen  I  am   very   thankful  to  be  able  to  announce  to-day  that   we 

missionaries  are  sending  forth  fourteen  missionaries.  It  may  surprise  some 
perhaps  that  we  should  he  able  at  the  present  time  to  send  forth 
so  large  a  number.  It  is  a  great  matter  of  thankfulness  and 
encouragement,  that  the  Lord  has  been  pleased  to  lay  it  upon  the 
hearts  of  not  a  few  to  contribute  in  a  special  manner  for  the 
support  of  some  of  these  ladies ;  and  others  are  not  only  giving 
themselves,  but  their  whole  substance,  to  the  Lord's  work.  Of 
the  whole  fourteen  now  going  forth,  three  are  entirely  honorary, 
four  more  are  drawing  no  salary,  two  have  their  salary  provided 
by  friends,  five  only  therefore  are  chargeable  to  the  Society. 
I  do  think  that  in  that  simple  statement  we  have  great  cause 
for  thankfulness  and  encouragement.  May  the  Lord  send  forth 
many  more  from  this  great  rich  England  of  ours,  and  raise 
up  many,  many  more  to  provide  the  means  for  sending  workers 
out.  Our  sisters  are  going  forth  with  everything  to  encourage. 
Most  of  them  are  going  to  our  own  great  empire  in  India.  If  there 
is  one  portion  of  the  heathen  world  in  which  God  is  working  in 
a  special  manner  more  than  another,  in  which  He  is  bringing  a 
multitude'  of  means  of  every  kind  to  bear  upon  this  great  wort  of 
evangelization,  I  think  it  is  India.  It  is  marvellous  how  the 
mind  and  intellect  of  the  people  of  India  is  waking  up;  it 
is  marvellous  how  opportunities  are  occurring.  It  is  then  oi 
immense  importance  that  the  gospel  of  the  grace  of  God,  thai 
Jesus  Christ  Himself,  should  be  presented  to  the  awakening 
intellect  of  India. 
Opening  Communications   are   being   multiplied   on   every   side;   peace 

reigns  from  one  end  to  the  other  of  that  country;  for  they  are  a 
law-abiding  race,  and  there  is  a  marvellous  thirst  for  education. 
As   I   heard   it   expressed  by   a   missionary  in   Southern   India. 


Encouragement  for  Labourers.  179 

"Education  is  spreading  like  wildfire  there,  all  over  India."  In  Major-Gen. 
the  government  schools  there  are  3,000,000  pupils,  and  there  are 
80,000  native  Christian  pupils.  Everything  shows  how  the 
education — not  only  that  now  being  given,  but  also  that  which 
has  been  given  for  so  many  years  past,  both  in  missionary  and 
government  schools — is  telling  most  powerfully  upon  the  whole 
mass  of  the  population.  A  curious  illustration  of  this  is  given 
in  the  Post-office  annual  statements.  In  the  year  1883  no  less 
than  14,000,000  newspapers  passed  through  the  Post-offices  in 
India,  showing  what  multitudes  are  now  not  only  able  to  read, 
but  have  their  minds  so  far  stirred  up  and  wakened,  that  they 
take  an  interest  in  the  general  news  of  the  world.  And  I  find, 
further,  that  in  the  same  year  there  were  187,000,000  letters  and 
books  passed  through  the  Post-offices  in  India,  against  very  little 
more  than  half  that  number  ten  years  before.  One  other  little 
fact — -curious,  though  perhaps  homely — is,  that  in  these  ten  years 
the  number  of  village  postmen  in  India  increased  threefold.  All 
this  shows  how  the  mind  of  the  people  is  being  roused ;  education 
and  the  means  of  enlightenment  are  spreading  on  every  side. 
Noav  that  the  intellect  of  India  is  being  awakened  almost  en  masse, 
how  infinitely  important  that  just  at  this  precious  moment  we 
should  present  them  with  the  Lord  J  esus  Christ !     Sometimes,  India's 

future. 

when  I  look  forward  to  the  future  of  India,  I  am  half  frightened 
with  this  wonderful  spread  of  education.  I  verily  believe  that 
compulsory  education  is  not  far  off.  We  have  been  interested  in 
reading  of  the  working  of  compulsory  education  in  Japan.  It 
seems  as  if  they  were  going  ahead  of  the  rest  of  the  world.  But 
the  thirst  in  India  is  so  great,  that  we  should  not  be  surprised  if 
compulsory  education  is  brought  forward  before  long ;  it  would  be 
a  very  popular  measure.  There  is  no  taxation  to  which  they 
would  so  willingly  submit  as  a  tax  for  education ;  and  there  is  no 
compulsion  to  which  they  would  submit  so  readily  as  that 
compulsion  to  send  their  boys  and  girls  to  school. 

Noav,  thank  God,  we  are  sending  forth  fourteen  more  of   our  a  word  of 

°  cheer. 

sisters  to  this  great  work.  The  instructions  of  the  committee 
will  now  be  delivered  to  them  by  the  clerical  secretary,  and  so  I 
Avill  not  take  up  more  time  by  introducing  them.  I  am  heartily 
glad  to  see  workers  like  these  going  forth  full  of  enthusiam  in 
this  great  work.  That  is  Avhat  we  need  if  we  are  to  rise  to 
the  level  of  our  opportunities.  As  individuals  we  must  have 
enthusiasm.     I  am  glad  to  see  workers  going  with  careful  and 

n  2 


180  A  Dismissal  Service. 

Major-Gen.  special  training,  for  which  we  are  so  mnch  indebted  to  our  friends 
here  in  Mildmay.  I  am  glad  to  hear  of  increased  funds  being 
provided,  showing  that  fresh  interest  is  aroused  in  this  matter 
of  sending  more  missionaries  to  the  heathen  in  special  ways.  But 
it  seems  to  me  that  we  hardly  know  what  is  before  us.  It  seems 
that  some  greater  effort  must  be  made,  far  greater  than  anything 
Ave  have  been  accustomed  to.  We  are  waking  up  and  understanding 
more  and  more  the  magnitude  of  this  work.  We  must  not  be 
surprised  if  we  see  new  departures  and  new  methods.  Amongst 
the  efforts  put  forth,  my  heart  goes  with  our  brethren  of  the 
Salvation  Army — going  to  India  simply  in  the  native  garb,  with 
wallets  and  nothing  more,  some  of  them  without  shoes  on  their 
feet.  I  must  confess  my  heart  goes  out  to  them.  While  I  should 
not  recommend  anybody  else  to  do  the  same,  I  should  not  be 
surprised,  if  the  mind  and  heart  of  the  church  of  Christ  is  roused 
by  the  mighty  Spirit  of  God  to  anything  like  a  proper  appreciation 
of  the  will  of  the  Lord  in  this  matter,  and  the  immensity  of  the 
sphere  set  before  us,  and  the  duty  we  have  to  perform ;  I  should 
not  be  surprised  to  see  anything,  even  efforts  of  this  kind, 
multiplied  indefinitely.  Well,  let  us  give  ourselves  up  individually 
and  heartily  to  do  the  Lord's  work.  Let  us  wait  on  Him,  and 
especially  pray  for  a  great  blessing  on  our  meeting  here ;  and  1 
trust  everyone  in  this  place  will  specially  remember  these  sisters 
going  forth,  that  their  labours  may  be  blessed  abundantly. 


Rev.  The  Eev.  Gilbert  Karnby,  clerical  secretary  of  the  Church  of 

Gilbert  .  .  . 

karney.  England  Zenana  Society,  read  the  instructions  to  the  departing 
Missionaries,  which  will  be  found  in  full  in  India's  Women, 
November  and  December  number,  p.  318. 

The  ladies  were — Miss  M.  Smith,  Miss  A.  Sharp,  and  Miss 
Bartlett,  going  to  Amritsar ;  Miss  Dixie  to  Batala;  Miss  Good  to 
Barrackpore;  Miss  Clark  to  Calcutta;  Miss  Parsons  to  Chupraj 
Miss  Thorp  to  Krishnaghur ;  Misses  Wallinger  and  Syngc  to 
Ootacamund ;  and  Miss  Blyth  to  Palamcotta.  Miss  I.  and  Miss 
II.  Newcombe  go  to  Foochow,  China  :  and  Miss  Harrison  ^roes  to 
Nagasaki,  Japan. 


True  Zenana  Missionaries.  181 


TRUE   ZENANA   MISSIONARIES. 

By  Rev.  Canon  Hoare. 

I  cannot  help  regarding  it  as  a  very  great  privilege  to  be  permitted  *j?*.  ^anon 

to  take  part  in  this  most  interesting  service,  and  I  consider  that  in 

some  respects  I  am  perhaps  the  right  person  to  do  so.     I  may  say 

I  have  a  claim  on  the  committee,  and  perhaps  the  committee  may  f]^* 

say  they  have  a  claim  upon  me.    I  have  a  claim  because  there  is  one 

of  my  dear  parishioners  amongst  the  number  of  those  who  are 

being  sent  out,  and  not  only  so,  but  she  is  the  niece  of  one  of  my 

oldest  and  most  valued  friends,  the  Rev.Preb.Wallinger,  the  intimate 

friend  of  the  late  Lord  Chichester,  for  more  than  fifty  years  president 

of  the  Church  Missionary  Society.     What  a  gratification  to  those 

devoted  men  before  the  throne  it  must  be  to  have  our  friend  here 

amongst  the  party  going  forth  to  this  great  service  !     Well  then 

the  committee  may  possibly  think  they  have  a  claim  upon  myself, 

not  exactly  a  legal  claim,  but  they  may  say  they  have  a  moral 

claim ;  for  I  have  a  dear  son  who  has  been  perpetrating  a  very 

bad  act,  and  carrying  off  one  of  the  young  lady  missionaries.     A 

very  wrong  thing  to  do  I  know ;  but  it  is  done,  and  I  can  only 

hope  that,  if  ever  a  similar  thing  should  occur  again,  it  will  be 

productive  of  the  same  happy  results  as  in  this  instance ;  for  there 

was  but  one  at  work  at  Foochow,  and  now  the  number  is  doubled, 

and  there  are  two  now  present  going  forth  to  fill  the  vacant  place. 

But  our  business  this  day  is  with  the  work  to  which  these 
young  people  have  been  called  by  the  Spirit  of  God,  and  I  want 
to  say  a  word  to  them  upon  four  points  : 

1st.  Their  work. 

2nd.  Their  motive. 

3rd.  Their  power. 

4th.  Their  hope. 

A  word  about  the  work  It  is  a  very  remarkable  work  ;  it  is  a  The  work. 
new  work  in  the  Church  of  God;  a  new  work,  and  one  which 
the  fathers  of  missions  in  early  clays  never  thought  of.  It  is 
a  work  which  was  never  thought  of  when  I  first  joined  the 
Church  Missionary  Society's  Committee.  I  mean  this  work  in 
the  homes,  the  upper-class  homes,  especially  in  India.     There  is 


182  A  Dismissal  Service. 

Rev.  Canon  something  very  remarkable  in  the  fact  that  the  Church  of  God 
went  on  for  centuries  without  any  attempt  of  the  kind,  and  that 
this  century  advanced  so  far  before  God  opened  the  way  for  us  to 
penetrate  into  these  upper-class  homes,  and  before  He  put  it  into 
the  hearts  of  His  people  to  enter  upon  that  holy  enterprise. 
Well,  I  cannot  help  thinking  it  is  a  predicted  work.  One  of  the 
remarkable  features  of  the  last  five  and  twenty  years  has  been  the 
waking  up  of  the  Church  of  God  to  women's  work.  I  have  a 
great  belief  in  women's  work.  What  a  power  are  women  in  the 
Church  of  God  now  !  This  then  is  pre-eminently  a  woman's  Avork. 
It  is  a  work  from  which  men  are  absolutely  excluded  ;  it  is  a  work 
that  does  not  come  within  the  range  of  possibility  for  a  man";  not 
the  most  gifted  male  missionary  in  the  world  could  find  an 
entrance  into  the  Zenana.  Here  is  woman's  work ;  and  it  is  just 
such  a  work  as  adorns  a  woman's  character,  and  calls  out  woman's 
power.     I  consider  that  these  young  ladies  going  forth  are  going 

the'iiome1  ou^  as  evangelists  to  teach  the  great  power  of  Jesus  Christ  in  the 
home.  I  have  no  doubt  that  some  of  our  modern  ladies  preach  a 
great  deal  better  than  we  do ;  but  at  the  same  time  I  think  their 
power  is  not  so  much  on  the  platform  or  pulpit  as  in  the  home. 
There  they  reign  supreme,  and  shed  abroad  a  holy  influence ; 
there  they  shape  the  minds  of  men ;  there  they  train  up  children 
for  the  Lord.  Now  you  are  all  going  out  as  apostles  of  Christian 
home-life  ;  you  are  going  to  penetrate  these  Zenanas,  to  carry  there 
the  principles  of  the  Christian  home,  to  teach  these  poor  ignorant 
Hindu  ladies  what  a  mother  may  be,  and  what  a  wife  may  be,  and 
what  a  mistress  may  be,  what  a  power  they  may  be  if  Christ 
Jesus  fills  their  hearts,  so  that,  according  to  Job,  "the  secret  of  God 
is  upon  their  tabernacle."  You  are  going  to  carry  that  secret  into 
the  tabernacle  in  India.  Ts  there  not  something  of  this  kind 
predicted  in  that  remarkable  passage  in  Psalm  lxviii.,  which  I 
doubt  not  many  of  the  ladies  have  read  with  great  interest  in 
the  Revised  Version?  Now  I  am  not  particularly  fond  of  the 
Revised  Version,  of  the  New  Testament  at  all  events.  I  am  very 
much  attached  to  the  old  version;  but  there  is  one  verse  in  which 
the  revisers  have  made  a  very  interesting  alteration,  and  it  is 
in  Psalm  lxviii.  11,  "The  Lord  gave  the  Word:  great  was  the 
company  of  those  that  published  it."  So  it  stands  in  the  Authorised 
Version.  But  in  the  Revised  Version  it  reads,  "The  Lord  gave 
the  Word:  and  the  women  that  published  it.  became  a  -real  host." 
Now  I  trust  that  is  exactly  what  will  happen  in  this  Society,  that 


True  Zenana  Missionaries.  183 

the  Lord  has  given  the  Word,  and  that  the  women  who  publish  Rev.  Canon 
it — these  fourteen  as  well   as  those  already   in   the  field — will 
become  a   great   host,   spreading  more   and  more  in  power  and 
influence  so  as  to  penetrate  to  all  the  homes  both  of  India  and 
China. 

Now  my  next  point,  What  is  the  motive  ?  I  liked  that  address  The  motive, 
given  by  Mr.  Karney,  and  I  have  no  doubt  you  will  feel  as 
you  go  on  in  the  work  the  motive  of  loyalty.  I  like  the  spirit 
of  loyalty,  and  doubtless  you  will  have  that  in  the  work.  But 
you  want  a  higher  motive  still,  that  great  motive — the  love  of 
souls,  the  yearning  heart  for  souls.  As  dear  old  Henry  Venn, 
the  rector  of  Yelling,  used  to  pray  in  his  family  prayer  every 
morning  for  the  love  of  souls,  so  you  want  to  go  and  look  upon 
those  among  whom  you  labour,  and  love  and  long  for  their  souls. 
But  that  would  not  always  supply  a  sufficient  motive.  The  love 
of  souls  will  not  carry  you  through  in  times  of  discouragement, 
and  there  are  times  when  the  most  ardent  love  for  souls  is 
despondent.  You  do  not  find  a  response  to  the  gospel.  You  go  as 
our  dear  friends  will  go,  with  warm  love  and  hearts  full  of  hope 
to  this  lady  and  that  lady,  and  penetrate  into  the  Zenanas ;  but 
you  will  not  find  it  always  couleur  rte  rose.  You  will  have  to  pull 
along  against  human  nature,  and  the  human  heart  of  man  does 
not  like  the  gospel.  There  will  be  times  of  discouragement  and 
times  of  joy — delightful  joy.  But  then  there  will  be  drawbacks 
and  backslidings,  and  people  who  grievously  disappoint  you.  There 
will  be  many  who  will  try  your  love.  You  will  find  many 
very  ungrateful.  You  want  a  higher  motive  still.  Now  what  is 
that  1     You  want  the  love  of  that  blessed  Saviour  in  whom  there  The  lQve  of 

t  •  -i  Christ. 

is  no  possibility  of  disappointment,  m  whom  there  is  love  that 
never  changes.  You  want  to  be  able  to  say  with  David,  "  I  have 
set  the  Lord  alway  before  my  face."  While  you  are  working  for 
Him,  that  carries  you  through  when  all  other  things  fail.  It  will 
be  like  that  poor  man  in  the  stocks  in  West  Africa,  about  to  be 
beaten  to  death  unless  he  would  deny  his  Saviour  ;  but  if  he  would 
only  do  so,  lie  was  to  be  reinstated  in  his  position.  He  said, 
"It  is  impossible  for  me  to  go  back,  for  the  Lord  Jesus  has  put 
His  padlock  upon  my  heart,  and  He  has  the  key,  so  that  no  man 
can  open  it."  Now  you  want  to  have  a  padlock  put  upon  your 
heart,  with  the  key  safe  in  the  right  hand  of  your  blessed  Saviour. 
That  will  carry  you  through  anything.  That  will  never  leave  you 
without  a  motive,  and  that  motive  will  never  fail. 


184 


A  Dismissal  Service. 


Eev.  Canon 

HOARE. 

The  power. 


Tokens  of 
Power. 


Then  what  is  the  poioer  ?  Now  you  want  power.  You  are  not 
going  to  do  great  things,  humanly  speaking ;  you  are  not  going  to 
stand  in  the  pulpit  and  preach ;  you  do  not  require  to  have 
the  power  of  human  eloquence ;  but  still  you  are  going  to  have  a 
power.  You  may  have  the  power  of  a  loving  heart,  and  of 
letting  these  women  know  you  love  them.  I  have  observed  this, 
that  if  you  pray  for  a  person  habitually,  you  cannot  help  beginning 
to  love  that  person;  and  what  is  more,  if  you  are  constantly 
praying  for  any  one,  when  you  get  up  from  your  knees  and  go  to 
them  and  seek  to  persuade  them  of  the  love  of  Christ,  they  will 
find  out  what  you  are  doing.  You  may  not  tell  them,  but  they 
find  out  by  a  kind  of  instinct  that  you  are  a  person  come  there 
from  God,  because  you  love  them.  That  is  a  power,  but  you 
want  something  beyond  that — you  want  the  accompanying  power 
of  God  the  Holy  Ghost ;  and  I  am  sure  that  there  is  not  merely  the 
inward  strength  given  to  a  person  to  work,  but  also  something  of 
accompanying  power.  I  am  quite  sure  in  observing  the  results  of 
this  power,  as  when  a  minister  is  speaking  with  power,  that 
the  effect  in  the  church  is  by  no  means  in  proportion  to  the 
power  with  which  the  man  is  speaking.  You  sometimes  hear 
a  very  weak  thing  said,  and  see  very  great  results  and  blessing 
from  it.  Again,  you  may  sometimes  hear  a  very  brilliant  display 
of  oratorical  power,  and  find  no  result.  What  is  the  key  to  this  ? 
It  is  that  God  the  Holy  Ghost  is  working  without  as  well  as 
within.  There  are  two  parties  at  work  at  the  same  moment. 
There  will  be  yourself.  You  may  get  up  from  your  knees,  and 
go  to  the  work.  You  may  go  into  the  Zenana,  and  get  to 
your  task.  That  is  one  party  working.  But  at  the  same 
time,  unseen,  unperceived,  invisible,  there  may  be  a  silent, 
secret  power  working  in  that  heart  of  the  hearer.  In  that 
there  Avill  be  power,  and  that  the  power  of  God  the  Holy 
Ghost  working  with  you.  Eemember,  working  with  you  as  well 
as  in  you.  If  you  look  at  Acts  xiv.  when  you  get  home,  you  will 
find  that  at  the  first  missionary  meeting,  which  took  place  at 
Antioch,  when  they  came  together  they  rehearsed,  not  what 
the  Lord  had  done  by  them,  but  what  the  Lord  had  done  villi 
them  as  their  Companion,  as  their  Fellow-Labourer.  So,  while 
you  go  to  speak  or  persuade  the  people,  you  may  be  very  weak, 
very  feeble ;  you  may  be  deeply  sensible  of  your  own  short- 
comings, and  yet  all  the  while  He  may  be  working  in  His  power 
upon  the  hearts  of  men. 


True  Zenana  Missionaries.  185 

Now  the  hope.  What  do  we  call  our  hope  1  Our  chairman  Rev.  Canon 
has  spoken  of  the  advance  in  India,  and  how  things  seem  to  be 
going  on  towards  the  end ;  and  we  are  looking  forward  to  the  The  h°Pe- 
bright  hope  of  that  blessed  day  when  our  missionary  work  shall 
be  over.  I  am  looking  forward  to  the  day  when  all  our 
ministering  and  all  our  missions  will  be  finished,  and  when  God  will 
send  forth  a  new  agency.  I  delight  to  see  all  of  you  young 
people  going  out.  May  God  help  every  one  of  you  !  I  delight  to 
see  young  men  going  out  to  preach  Christ  with  heart  and  soul 
among  the  heathen ;  but  the  time  is  coming  when  all  of  us 
human  agents  shall  be  done  with,  when  there  will  be  a  new 
agency  employed  for  a  new  work.  You  will  find  that  new  agency  a  new 
described  in  Matthew  xxiv.,  when  He  shall  send  forth  His 
angels  to  gather  together  His  elect  from  the  north  and  from 
the  south,  the  east  and  the  west,  from  one  end  of  heaven  to  the 
other.  Now  these  elect  people  are  being  brought  to  Christ  by 
human  agency,  by  the  proclamation  of  the  word  of  God;  and 
you  are  going  forth  to  gather  them  in.  What  an  honour  and 
happiness !  Then,  when  all  God's  elect  are  gathered  to  Christ, 
saved  in  Him,  justified  in  Him,  and  standing  ready  for  Him, 
when  the  moment  comes,  and  the  trumpet  sounds,  there  will 
be  a  change.  Those  mighty  angels  will  be  sent  to  the  north 
and  south,  east  and  west,  to  gather  together  the  whole  company 
of  God's  elect  that  have  been  already  brought  unto  Christ,  some 
from  the  deep  ocean,  some  from  the  living  churches,  some  from 
the  Zenana  homes,  amongst  which  you  are  going  to  labour; 
some  risen  from  the  dead,  some  transformed  whilst  still  living 
without  tasting  death,  and  to  collect  all  into  one  great  and 
glorious  company,  that  every  eye  may  be  fixed  upon  one 
object — the  glory  of  the  blessed  Saviour  come  again  to  take  His 
kingdom.  There  is  your  hope,  and  if  you  are  looking  forward 
for  Him  to  come,  look  forward  also  to  the  day  when  those 
for  whom  you  have  prayed  and  laboured,  for  whom  you  have 
wept  and  toiled,  and  asked  the  prayers  and  sympathies  of  all  who 
love  the  service  of  the  Lord,  when  they  will  be  "your  joy  and 
crown  of  rejoicing  at  that  day."  Is  not  that  something  to  hope 
for,  to  look  forward  to  1  Is  not  that  a  gathering  the  thought 
of  which  may  heal  the  pains  of  separation  1  Oh,  what  a  gathering  ! 
No  more  of  the  many  hindrances  which  now  upset  our  work,  no 
more  of  disappointment  and  anxieties,  for  the  Lord  Himself  will 
have  taken  the  whole  into  His  own  hands;    and  every  soul — 


186  A  Dismissal  Service. 

Rev.  Canon  unknown,  it  may  be,  to  man — every  individual,  every  one  of  God's 
hidden  ones,  whom  man  can  never  count  and  never  gather,  shall 
he  brought  together  into  one  grand  union  before  the  throne  of 
God.  Then  "  we  which  are  alive  and  remain  shall  he  caught  up 
together  with  them  in  the  clouds,  to  meet  the  Lord  in  the  air  : 
and  so  shall  we  ever  he  with  the  Lord."  Lot  this  he  your  hope, 
and  may  it  "cheer  your  hearts  to  the  end  of  your  course." 


IiRKClIT. 


Dr.  writ-  Di\  Wbitbebcht  briefly  addressed  the  ladies,  giving  them  his 
Lear  mother's  farewell  message,  as  those  who  were  about  to  enter 
on  what  had  been  her  lifelong  work. 

Hymn  No.  29  was  then  sung,  and   the  Rev.   D.  B.  Hankix 
concluded  in  prayer. 

"  Revive  Thy  work,  0  Lord. 
Thy  work  of  quickening  power." 


THE  UNITED  KINGDOM  AND  THE  COLONIES. 

Thursday  Evening,  October  7th,  1886. 


The  last  evening  of  the  Conference  was  fittingly  devoted  to  the 
consideration  of  the  claims  of  Home  Work.  After  silent  prayer, 
Hymn  No.  43  was  sung — 

"  All  hail  the  power  of  Jesus'  name  ! 
Let  angels  prostrate  fall." 

Prayer   was   presented   by   Mr.    Theodore   Howard.      Hymn 
No.   37  was  sung — 

"  Thou,  whose  almighty  word, 
Chaos  and  darkness  heard." 

The  Chairman,  Mr.  Paton,  gave  the  opening  address. 


THE    CHUECH'S    BUSINESS. 
By  Mr.  Eobert  Paton. 
We  have  now  come  to  the   last  public  meeting   of   this   most  Mr.  Robert 

Paton. 

delightful  Conference.  God  has  been  exceedingly  gracious  to  us 
in  providing  such  a  rich  treat.  The  addresses  have  fitted  one 
into  another  just  as  if  all  had  been  arranged,  as  indeed  it  has 
been,  by  the  Lord  Himself.  Personally  I  have  felt  very  much 
stirred  up,  and  I  trust  such  has  been  the  case  with  all  of  us. 

It  has  been  the  habit  of  the  Chairman  in  opening  the  meetings 
I  have  attended  to  review  the  fields  of  operation  that  were  to  be 
considered.  We  had  "  Missions  in  Bible  Lands  "  this  morning, 
and  a  most  able  review  of  work  in  these  lands  by  my  friend, 
Mr.  Eugene  Stock.  Last  night  we  had  a  marvellous  bird's-eye 
view  of  Africa,  with  its  200,000,000  waiting  for  the  gospel,  and 
of  the  work  begun  at  the  various  stations  in  that  dark  Continent. 
I  am  not  going  to  attempt  a  review  of  the  work  in  the  United 


188 


Tlv  United  Kingdom  and  the  Colonies. 


parable. 


City  scenes. 


Mr.  robkrt  Kingdom  and  Colonies.  Many  of  us — I  trust  all  of  us — are 
familiar  with  what  the  Lord  is  doing,  at  least  to  some  extent ; 
but  I  should  like  just  to  say  a  word  or  two.     In  Luke,  xix.  12,  13 

AsuKgestive  we  read  :  "  A  certain  nobleman  went  into  a  far  country  to  seek 
for  himself  a  kingdom,  and  to  return.  And  he  called  his  ten 
servants,  and  delivered  them  ten  pounds,  and  said  unto  them, 
Occupy  till  I  come."  We  are  all  familiar  with  the  parable ;  but 
have  we  all  laid  to  heart  these  words,  "Occupy  till  I  come'"? 
They  are  the  words  of  our  Master  and  Lord,  who  has  a  right  to 
speak  to  us  with  authority,  and  who  in  His  absence  from  us  lias 
surely  the  right  to  expect  that  His  command  will  be  obeyed. 
"We  often  quote  the  passage,  "Diligent  in  business,  fervent  in 
spirit,  serving  the  Lord;"  and  this  business  is  supposed  by  many 
to  mean  our  worldly  business,  our  secular  affairs,  but  I  believe  it 
means  the  business  of  the  soul — the  only  real  business.  "Seek 
ye  first  the  kingdom  of  God,  and  His  righteousness,  and  all  these 
things  shall  be  added  unto  you."  It  is  often  stated  that  in  this 
country  the  labourers  are  so  numerous  that  they  tread  on  one 
another's  heels.  It  may  be  true  to  some  extent;  but  look  at 
London,  and  what  do  you  see  1  Where  can  you  find  such  a 
mass  of  godlessness  1  and,  as  a  matter  of  course,  such  an  amount 
of  human  misery  on  the  face  of  the  earth1?  Go  to  the  Strand  with 
its  theatres,  to  our  fashionable  Regent  Street,  and  many  other 
streets  and  squares  of  our  wealthy  West  End  to-night,  now,  and 
say  whether  it  is  not  so.  And  then  go  to  the  East  End,  to  its 
slums,  and  tell  me  if  your  heart  has  not  been  moved  to  its  depths 
by  what  you  have  there  seen.  I  have  been  to  many  of  the 
capitals  of  Europe,  and  have  been  over  a  great  part  of  India,  hut 
I  have  never  beheld  a  spectacle  that  has  moved  me  more  than 
this  great  London  !  "Beginning  at  Jerusalem."  Have  we  touched 
the  mass  of  ungodliness  in  this  city  1  In  spite  of  all  our  agencies, 
we  have  reliable  statistics  which  tell  us  that  not  3  per  cent,  of  the 
working  men  ever  cross  the  threshold  of  our  church,  chapel,  or 
mission ;  and  taking  all  classes,  there  are  not  20  per  cent,  that 
go  near  any  place  of  worship.  Shame  on  us  that  love  the  name 
of  Jesus  that  it  should  be  so  !  Surely,  as  we  look  abroad  on  this 
abounding  iniquity  on  the  right  hand  and  on  the  left,  we  ought  to 
cry  to  God  for  a  baptism  of  His  divine  Spirit,  thai  we  may  go 
forth  to  do  and  dare  more  for  our  blessed  Lord  than  we  ever 
have  done.  How  is  it  that  we  are  in  this  deplorable  condition1? 
I  believe  it  is  because  we  have  not  faith  in  tin-  living  God.     Wo 


The  Work- 
ing classes 


TJic  Church's  Business.  189 

talk  to  men  about  the  religion  we  profess — about  the  Lord  Jesus  Mr.  Robert 

01  .  Paton. 

Christ.  We  say  we  love,  but  the  talk  does  not  go  down  into  the 
hearts  of  those  we  address. 

A  godly  pastor,  in  a  country  toAvn  not  far  from  London,  told  me  T.he  scep- 

°        J  l  '  J  .  m  '  tical  doctor. 

some  time  ago  that  a  gentleman — a  medical  man  in  a  good  position 
— came  into  his  chapel  one  Sunday  evening.  He  was  astonished 
to  see  him  there,  as  it  was  well  known  that  the  doctor  was  an 
infidel.  The  minister  determined  to  call  upon  him  the  next  day, 
which  he  did.  During  the  visit  the  doctor  said  to  the  minister, 
"You  do  not  really  believe  what  you  were  preaching  last  night?" 

"  Of  course  I  do,"  replied  the  minister. 

"  You  cannot  possibly,"  said  the  doctor,  "  or  you  surely  would 
have  come  to  warn  me  of  the  awful  consequences  of  such  a  life 
as  mine,  having  lived  as  I  have  done  in  the  town  for  ten  years." 

What  could  the  minister  say  1 

Surely  this  rebuke  comes  home  to  all  of   us.     We  ought  to  vile 

.  .  ...        literature. 

be  more  in  earnest  in  dealing  with  those  around  us,  and  in  making- 
known  to  them  the  things  of  God.  On  the  way  to  the  Conference 
this  afternoon  I  had  a  lesson  given  to  me.  I  came  upon  two 
butcher  lads  with  their  blue  frocks  and  baskets.  One  had  in  his 
hand  a  periodical  of  the  vilest  and  most  blasphemous  description, 
the  name  of  which  I  will  not  mention.  He  had  taken  it  from  the 
other  young  man,  and  was  seeking,  as  a  lover  of  the  Lord,  to 
dissuade  him  from  reading  such  polluting  publications,  and  making 
known  to  him  better  things.  I  fear  our  eyes  are  not  open  to  the 
fearful  havoc  that  is  being  wrought  by  vile  literature.  We  are 
now  educating  every  boy  and  girl  in  our  land.  What  will  they  • 
read1?  Will  they  seek  after  the  Bible,  and  the  things  of  God1? 
Never !  The  natural  human  heart  is  to-day,  as  it  always  has  been 
since  the  fall,  against  God ;  and,  as  a  matter  of  course,  the  boys 
and  girls  will  go  for  the  vile,  the  obscene,  the  socialistic,  the 
atheistic  literature  now  printed  in  such  abundance  all  over  the 
land.  Let  us  follow  the  example  of  the  butcher  lad,  and  go  to 
our  brother  with  the  gospel,  and  say  to  him,  "Know  the  Lord;" 
and  let  us  put  something  better  into  the  hands  of  those  who  are 
reading  trash,  and  the  Lord  will  bless  our  individual  efforts. 

I    examine    a    great    many  applicants    for    Christian    work    in  Personal 

&  .  .  .  dealing. 

the  course  of  the  year  m  connection  with  a  society  in  which 
I  am  much  interested,  and  I  find  by  far  the  larger  proportion  of 
them  have  been  brought  to  Christ  by  personal  dealing  of  some 
Christian  worker,  or  through  some  friend  in  the  workshop,  or  some 


190  TJic  United  Kingdom  and  the  Colonics. 

Mr.  robbkt  club;  at  the  desk,  or  by  reading  some  tract  or  book  that  lias  been 
put  into  their  hands.  I  have  just  read  a  short  sketch  of  Bishop 
Hannington,  whose  martyr  death  moved  us  so  much  lately,  and  I 
find  it  was  through  reading  that  blessed  book,  Dr.  Mackay's 
Grace  and  Truth,  that  he  was  converted  after  he  bad  entered 
holy  orders,  and  had  become  vicar  of  a  parish.     I  should  like  to 

The  Press,  see  much  more  attention  given  to  the  Press  as  an  evangelizing 
agency.  Very  little  lias  been  said  about  gospel  literature  during 
this  Conference.  I  have  been  a  member  of  the  Religious  Tract 
Society's  committee  for  many  years,  and  1  then  got  an  insight 
into  the  enormous  influence  of  literature  in  our  mission  work 
abroad  as  well  as  at  home.  1  feel  persuaded  we  must  do  tenfold 
more  in  the  near  future  than  we  have  done  in  the  past  in  the 
circulation  of  the  Scriptures  and  gospel  books  and  tracts. 

"Upanciijc  In  conclusion  let  me  say,  that  if  progress  is  to  be  made 
with  the  evangelization  of  the  world,  we.  shall  all  have  to  be  up 
and  doing — "  the  masses  of  the  Church  against  the  masses  of  the 
world" — for  just  in  proportion  to  the  faithfulness  of  the  Church 
at  home  will  missionaries  lie  blessed  abroad.  We  may  have 
conferences  and  other  schemes  to  advance  the  work  abroad;  but 
if  we  are  not  pushing  forward  the  work  at  home,  and  holding  up 
the  hands  of  those  in  the  foreign  fields  by  our  prayers  and 
practical  sympathy,  success  will  not  attend  the  Church's  efforts. 
Let  us  seek  more  earnestly  than  we  have  done  to  do  our  part,  to 
"  occupy  till  He  come." 


THE    WORK     OF.   TO-DAY. 

By  Mr.  C.  Russell  Hurditch. 

an.  Russell  1  wish  to  say  a  few  words  about  the  evangelization  of  the  world, 

and  specially  that  part  of  it  with  which  we  are  more  immediately 

Work  to       concerned — home  work.    I  want  to  remind  you  of  Tin;  WORK  that 
be  accom-  _T  .    „ 

pushed,  is  to  be  accomplished.  jNow  we  are  not  left  m  doubt  as  to 
this.  It  is  not  the  conversion  of  the  world,  but  its  evangeliza- 
tion; and,  therefore,  I  want  to  remind  you  that  that  must  be 
accomplished  according  to  God's  purpose  before  the  return  of  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  for  which  return  we  are  constantly  watching 
and  praying.  He  has  said,  "Go  ye  into  all  the  world,  and  preach 
the.  gospel  to  every  creature."  There  is  our  distinct  commission. 
lb    has  also  said   that  the  gospel   "shall    be    preached   in  all   the 


The  Work  of  To-Day .  191 

world  for  a   witness  unto  all  nations:    and   then  shall  the  end  Mr. Russell 

IIUItDITCH. 

come.      We  are  also  told  in  Scripture  what  is  God's  purpose  m  the 
evangelization  of  the  world ;  it  is  to  gather  out  a  people  for  His 
name.  (Acts  xv.  14.)    "Simeon  hath  declared  how  God  at  the  first  The  Church 
did  visit  the  Gentiles,  to  take  out  of  them  a  people  for  His  name."  out.lU'a 
It  is  not  the  conversion  of  the  world  just  now,  but  the  preaching 
of  the  gospel,  in  order  that  God's  purpose  should  he  accomplished 
in  the  gathering  out  of  a  people  for  His  name.     That  is  what  has 
been  going  on  for  the  last  eighteen  hundred  years.     Though  the 
gospel  has  not   yet  been   preached  in   all   nations   or   to   every 
creature,  still  God  has  been  steadily  carrying  on  His  work,  and 
fulfilling  His  purpose  of  gathering  out  a  people  for  His  name;  so 
to-day  He  is  adding  to  the  number  of  the  redeemed.     Then  we 
have  another  purpose  of  this  work ;  it  is   none  other   than   the 
hastening  of  tlie  coming  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.    Peter  distinctly  "^•"'rj'11, 
exhorts  the  Christians  of  his  day  to  be  hasting  the  coming  of  the  Clinst- 
Lord  Jesus  Christ.  (2  Peter  iii.  12.) 

Thus  the  work  set  before  the  Church  of  God  is  to  evangelize 
the  world,  to  preach  the  gospel  in  all  nations  for  a  witness,  not 
necessarily  for  the  conversion  of  the  world,  but,  instrum  en  tally,  to 
gather  out  a  people  for  His  name,  and  to  hasten  the  coming  of  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ — that  coming  not  taking  place  till  the  number  Witnessing 
of  His  elect  is  completed,  and  for  the  accomplishment  of  that 
purpose  the  gospel  of  the  grace  of  God  is  to  be  proclaimed  in  all 
nations.  Now  let  us  keep  this  clearly  and  definitely  before  us 
individually,  for  each  of  us  has  a  part  in  this  most  blessed  work, 
and,  having  got  an  intelligent  idea  of  these  divine  purposes,  let  us 
not  lose  heart,  but  go  about  the  Master's  work  in  faith  and  love, 
and,  I  trust,  also  having  the  confident  knowledge  of  His  presence 
and  power. 

NOW    a    word    as    to    THE     MEANS    BY     WHICH     THIS     IS     TO     BE  The  means. 

accomplished.  We  are  distinctly  told  that  it  is  by  "the 
foolishness  of  preaching  that  God  saves  them  that  believe ; " 
"but  how  shall  they  hear  without  a  preacher ^  and  how  shall  they 
preach  except  they  be  sent1?"  The  preaching  of  the  gospel  then 
to  every  creature  is  to  be  by  men  who  have  themselves  been 
saved  by  the  gospel ;  that  is  God's  own  way.  He  does  not  send 
angels  to  preach  the  gospel,  He  sends  men.  But  God  does  not 
send  unconverted  men,  He  sends  saved  men  or  women — for  I  sanc&fted?  ' 
use  the  word  as  representing  both  men  and  women,  and  we  sunt- 
have  abundant  testimony  that  He  is  using  both,  His  name  be 


192  TJie  United  Kingdom  and  the  Colonies. 

Mr.  Russell  praised  !     The  Lord  gave  the  Word,  and  still  greater  may  the 

HURDITCH.  °  °  J 

company  be  of  those  women  who  shall  publish  it,  whether  in 
the  Zenanas  of  India,  or  elsewhere.  Saved  men  or  women  then 
are  to  be  the  instruments.  It  is  not  often  that  He  saves  people 
through  their  own  sermons,  as  in  the  case  where  the  Methodist 
discerned  the  new  power  in  the  preaching  of  the  parish  vicar, 
and  shouted,  "Praise  God,  the  parson  is  converted!"  It  is  not 
often  a  man  is  a  preacher  first,  and  a  converted  soul  afterwards. 
God's  way  is  first  to  save  men  by  the  power  of  the  gospel,  and 
then,  being  saved,  the  word  to  them  is,  "  Let  him  that  heareth 
say,  Come." 
Sanctified  Such  instruments  are  sanctified  by  the  Spirit  of  God.  It  is 
Spirit.  not  enough  to  be  saved.  God  would  have  us  know  the  power  of 
the  gospel,  not  simply  to  save  from  sin's  guilt  and  condemnation, 
but  to  separate  us  from  the  world,  from  self,  and  from  the 
things  around  us — to  realize  what  it  is  to  be  separated  unto  God, 
so  that  from  that  moment  we  seek  the  kingdom  of  God  and 
His  righteousness,  and  in  many  cases  to  be  wholly  given  up  to 
His  work,  as  Wesley  said,  with  so  much  truth  in  his  case,  and 
it  should  be  in  ours — 

'"Tis  all  my  business  here  below 
To  cry,  Behold  the  Lamb  !" 

Then,  being  saved  and  sanctified,  we  have  to  recognise  that  we  are 
sent.  God  sends  His  servants.  Jesus  Christ  reminded  us  of  this 
in  these  memorable  words  of  His,  "As  Thou  hast  sent  Me  into  the 
world,  so  have  I  sent  them  into  the  world."  And  to  every  true 
gospeller,  to  every  true  evangelist,  to  every  true  Christian,  seeking 
to  promote  the  spread  of  the  gospel,  He  says,  "As  My  Father 
hath  sent  Me,  even  so  send  I  you."  We  must  be  St  nt. 
Saved  and  Therefore  the  great  point  with  each  of  us  to  know  is,  first,  that 
we  are  saved.  We  have  nothing  to  do  with  preaching  the  gospel 
unless  we  are.  We  heard  of  a  case  to-day,  at  one  of  the  meetings, 
of  one  who  desired  to  enter  missionary  work  ;  but  when  lie  was 
asked  if  he  had  been  converted,  he  inquired  what  new  doctrine 

that  was.     I  entered  a  huge  building  (1 bher  day,  anil,  looking 

around,  asked  the  attendant  how  many  conversions  they  had 
witnessed  there  lately.  "Conversions,"  lie  replied,  "we  do  not 
believe  in  that  sort  of  thing  here.''  Well,  a  man  must  he  saved 
ami  separated  by  the  grace  of  God,  to  Him  and  to  His  work,  if 
he  is  to  be  sent  to  preach  the  gospel  ;  for  him  to  live  henceforth 
must  lie  Christ. 


sent 


The  Work  of  To-Day.  193 

Then  when  we  get  to  this  Ave  realize  our  calling  and  get  our  Mr.  Russell 

Hdrditch. 

commission  from  heaven,  and  are  sent  out  to  do  the  Master  s 
business  ;  sent  by  Him  who  said,  "  Wist  ye  not  that  I  must  he  °™  9om' 

'  "  "  mission. 

about  My  Father's  business1?"  and  in  the  end  could  say,  "I  have 
finished  the  work  which  Thou  gavest  Me  to  do."  If  it  is  the 
case  with  you,  beloved  hearers,  that  you  are  saved,  what  a 
mercy !  You  owe  an  eternity  of  praise  to  God  for  that.  If 
you  are  sanctified  and  separated  to  His  blessed  service,  then  you 
should  be  ready  to  be  sent  anywhere  in  His  precious  work. 
Surely  His  mercy  in  saving  us  calls  for  whole-hearted  surrender, 
and  should  lead  us  to  say — 

' '  Lord,  take  me,  body,  spirit,  soul, 
Only  Thou  possess  the  whole." 

But  now  mark  the  DIFFICULTIES  IN  THE  WAY  OF  THE  ACCOMPLISH-  Difficulties. 

ment  of  the  purposes  of  God.    First,  there  are  the  obstacles  with- 

out    There  is  the  natural  indifference  of  the  human  heart ;  and  we  without. 

are  seeing  something  of  that  in  this  country  and  in  the  Colonies,  as 

well  as  in  the  great  heathen  lands  to  which  our  attention  has  been 

called  in  the  addresses  at  this  Conference.     What  indifference  on  indifference. 

the  part  of  people  generally  to  the  great  realities  of  God  and  of 

eternity  !     There  might  be  no  God,  and  they  would  live  just  the 

same  kind  of  life ;  there  might  be  no  heaven  to  gain  or  hell  to 

shun,  and  they  would  live  pretty  much  the  same  as  now.     They 

are  fast  asleep,  utterly  indifferent.     Oh,  what  a  sight  the  world  is 

to  a  soul  whose  eyes  have  been  opened  by  God,  and  who  has  been 

delivered  from  the  state  in  which  he  was  by  nature  !     How  awful 

it  is  to  look  around  on  the  world,  to  see  the  millions  in  this  city 

of  London,  living  as  if  there  were  no  God,  no  heaven,  and  no 

hell !     Oh,  may  God  impress  us  with  the  fact  that  men  are  thus 

utterly  indifferent  about  this  greatest  of  all  questions,  and  make 

us  wide  awake  about  it ;  seeking  in  the  light  of  eternity,  of  heaven 

and  hell,  to  arouse  our  own  souls  and  the  souls  of  others  on  this 

great  subject ! 

Another  obstacle  is  the  opposition  of  science,  falsely  so  called.  Scepticism. 
We  are  met  on  every  hand  with  this  just  now ;  Huxleyism  and 
Spencerism — the  negation  of  everything.  We  meet  it  every  day. 
Why,  a  man  said  to  me  at  a  certain  hall  lately,  "  My  dear  friend, 
I  admire  your  zeal  and  earnestness ;  but  you  are  fifty  years  too  late 
with  your  theology,  it  was  all  exploded  long  ago."  He  was  an 
agnostic,  a  know-nothing.  Like  this  man,  many  in  the  counting- 
houses  and  the  schools  talk  at  second-hand.    That  is  a  great  obstacle 

o 


194  Tlie  United  Kingdom  and  the  Colonies. 

Mr. Russell  in  England  at  this  time;  and  not  in  England  only,  but  in  the 
Colonies  too.  A  friend  wrote  to  me  last  week,  "  While  Christians 
are  slumbering,  Ceylon  is  being  flooded  with  evil  literature ;  tons 
of  infidel  publications  coming  over  to  us  in  shiploads."  That  is  a 
solemn  state  of  things,  and  yet  it  is  true.  To  many  the  infidelity 
of  to-day  appears  so  unanswerable ;  it  is  indeed  an  obstacle  to  the 
spread  of  the  gospel. 

obstacles         Then  there  are  obstacles  within  the  professing  church.     There 

within.  .  . 

we  find  formalism,  and  multitudes  are  carried  away  by  tins ;  yes, 
Ritualism,  even  true  Christians  sometimes.  Then  we  have  ritualism  and 
worldliness)  rationalism  turning  so  many  aside  from  the  straight  paths. 
lsunion.  .^^  onjy  go^  ku£  we  see  the  worldliness  of  professing  Christians, 
and  the  disunion  among  God's  own  people,  bearing  such  sad 
fruit  on  every  band.  When  we  think  of  the  disunion  of  God's 
own  people  it  should  make  our  hearts  bleed.  With  one  blessed 
hope,  knowing  the  one  loving  Saviour,  endued  with  the  one 
quickening  Spirit,  and  going  to  one  glorious  home,  yet  having 
so  little  in  common,  so  many  Christians  keep  off  and  stand 
aloof.  Eemember  when  God's  people  were  blessed  in  olden 
time,  it  was  when  they  "dwelt  together  in  unity."  Thank  God  for 
the  unity  often  witnessed  in  this  and  kindred  places  !  But  this 
disunion  is  indeed  a  mighty  obstacle.  Why,  a  friend  from  the 
Colonies  told  me  to-day  that  sectarianism  in  Australia  was  worse 
than  at  home.  It  must  be  very  bad  indeed,  for  I  could  tell  you 
of  many  incidents  to  show  how  sad  is  this  spirit  of  disunion  in 
this  country,  and  how  Christians  will  not  work  together. 
Prayeriess-  Then  there  is  the  prayerlessness  in  our  churches.  Plow  sorrow- 
ful it  is  to  hear  of  instances  where  the  prayer  meeting  has 
entirely  ceased.  There  are  churches  without  a  single  weekly  prayer 
meeting.  The  other  night  I  went  to  hear  that  honoured  servant 
of  God,  Mr.  Spurgcon,  and  we  got  to  the  prayer  meeting. 
When  1  heard  how  these  brethren  prayed  I  said,  "This  accounts 
for  it.  No  wonder,  when  men  pray  like  that  before  the  service, 
that  God's  blessing  is  so  manifested  with  the  preaching." 
When  on  the  Monday  evenings  2000  people  assemble  for  prayer 
in  the  Tabernacle,  no  wonder  the  sermons  are  full  of  power.  No 
wonder  Archibald  Brown  has  such  gatherings  and  such  blessing, 
when  a  thousand  people  assemble  for  prayer,  laying  hold  of  Cod. 
Prayerlessness  is  the  secret  of  the  powerlessness  of  the  churches 
and  pulpits.  If  you  want  to  find  where  the  real  life  in  any 
centre  bf  work   is,  go  to  the  prayer  meeting;  that  will  indicate 


DUSS. 


The  Work  of  To-Bay.  195 

the  state  of  things  very  clearly.     What  failures  our  united  prayer  mi-.russell 

1        1  I.      -I-      •      •  l  iTr         l        HURDITCH. 

meetings  often  are  !  A  doctor  of  divinity  may  preach,  a  Moody 
or  a  Sankey  may  come,  and  the  place  will  he  crowded  till  they 
go ;  then  the  meetings  fall  away.  It  is  well  for  us  to  look  this 
thing  in  the  face.  This  prayerlessness  is  an  obstacle  to  the 
advance  of  the  gospel  to-day. 

You  remember  the  revival  of  1859-60 — some  here  at  least  will 
remember  that  time.  You  know  how  all  through  the  night 
watches,  till  the  morning  sun  had  risen,  Christians  often  con- 
tinued praying,  and  the  blessing  came.  There  was  prayer  in  the 
power  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  If  by  God's  grace  this  prayerlessness  in 
the  church  were  broken  down,  if  we  gathered  in  larger  numbers, 
and  were  more  fervent  in  supplication,  we  should  see  times  of 
reviving  again.  There  is  machinery  enough.  Look  at  the  churches 
and  chapels  erected,  and  many  half  empty  because  there  is  no 
prayer  and  no  power. 

Then,  again,  there  is  unconsecrated  wealth  in  the  church.  For  ^c°"|i£ha" 
1800  years  the  gospel  has  been  in  the  world,  and  still  the  greater 
part  thereof  is  not  evangelized.  There  are  millionaires  in  the 
church  whose  wealth  might  well  be  spent  in  the  circulation  of 
God's  truth ;  but  there  are  others  than  millionaires  who  do  not  give 
even  a  tenth  of  their  income.  Alas  !  this  matter  of  consecration 
must  also  be  met  and  looked  fairly  in  the  face.  If  we  were  all 
found  bringing  the  tithes  into  the  storehouse,  then  might  we 
expect  the  windows  of  heaven  to  be  opened.  I  do  not  know  if  I 
am  right,  but  I  think  Mr.  Wilkinson  reads  it  thus  :  "  Prove  Me 
now  herewith,  saith  the  Lord  of  hosts,  if  I  will  not  open  the 
windows  of  heaven  and  pour  you  out  a  blessing  till  heaven  itself 
be  exhausted." 

Well,  then,  let  us  consider  the  spirit  in  which  this  work  The  spirit  in 

which  to 

should  be  carried  on.  It  should  be  in  a  spirit  of  grateful  love,  work. 
with  a  sense  of  our  indebtedness  to  Christ.  What  did  Paul 
say  % — "  The  love  of  Christ  constraineth  us."  How  can  we 
contemplate  the  great  theme  of  Christ's  redeeming  love,  and  not  {o^66*1 
work  .for  Him  !  Those  Christians  who  are  not  at  work  in  any 
field  have  surely  never  yet  understood  the  character  of  that  love, 
have  never  yet  been  constrained  by  the  subduing  power  of 
Christ's  love.  "  For  the  love  of  Christ  constraineth  us ;  because 
we  thus  judge,  that  if  one  died  for  all,  then  were  all  dead  :  and 
that  He  died  for  all,  that  they  which  live  should  not  henceforth 
live  unto  themselves,  but  unto  Him  which  died  for  them,  and 

o  2 


196  Tlie  United  Kingdom  and  the  Colonies. 

Mr.RussELL  rose  again."  (2  Cor.  v.  14,  15.)     Oh,  if  we  could  but  realize  what 

HUKDITCH.  1.         ,  -I1-T 

that  love  of  Christ  was  that  led  Him  from  the  heights  of  heaven 
to  the  depths  of  Calvary,  from  the  glory  of  His  throne  to  the 
humiliation  of  Golgotha,  all  for  us  !     Should  we  not  truly  say — 

"Drops  of  grief  can  ne'er  repay 
The  debt  of  love  I  owe. 
Here,  Lord,  I  give  myself  away, 
'T is  all  that  I  can  do"? 

Humility.  Then,  again,  it  must  be  in  a  spirit  of  deep  humility — real,  not 
mock  humility — that  accounts  itself  nothing  but  a  poor  sinner 
saved  by  divine  grace,  that  looks  up  from  self-abasement  and 
says,  "  Lord,  what  wouldest  Thou  have  me  to  do  V  and  goes  forth 
in  the  consciousness  that  we  are  nothing  apart  from  divine  grace. 
Depend  upon  it,  God  will  then  use  us,  whether  in  heathen  lands 
beyond,  or  at  home,  or  in  the  Colonial  Empire.  Let  us  ever 
remember  that  "God  hath  chosen  the  foolish  things  of  the  world 
to  confound  the  wise ;  and  God  hath  chosen  the  weak  things  of 
the  world  to  confound  the  things  which  are  mighty;  and  base 
things  of  the  world,  and  things  which  are  despised,  hath  God 
chosen,  yea,  and  things  which  are  not,  to  bring  to  nought  things 
that  are  :  that  no  flesh  should  glory  in  His  presence." 

indomitable      Then  we  need  the  spirit  of  indomitable  courage.     God  wants 

courage. 

courageous  men.      He  said  to  Joshua,   "  Be  strong  and  of   good 

courage."     One  of  the  devil's  most  successful  plans  is  to  get  the 

courage  out  of  the  Lord's  servants,  and  he  often  uses  God's  own 

people  for  this  purpose.     But  if   we  have  our  work  from  God, 

let  us  stick  to  it;   and  stick  to  it  with  the  courage  of  men  wlio 

know  that  their  work  is  from   God,  and  who  will  do  it  in  spile 

of   all  who  oppose.     Mr.  Moody  rightly  said,   "God  never  uses 

discouraged  men."     If  you  want  God's  workers  to  be  useless,  just 

get  them  discouraged;  draw  a  long  face,  and  by  your  cold  and 

criticising  words  and  looks  drive  all  the  courage  out  of  them,  and 

then  they  will  be  of  little  service  in  the  work  of  the  Lord.     <  Hi, 

friends,  God  wants  us  to  be  strong  and  of  good  courage.     You 

remember  how  in  Deuteronomy  xx.  all   who   were  faint-hearted 

were  told  to  go  back,  lest  they  made  their  brethren's  hearts  to 

faint.     God  did  not  want  them.     Men  so  full  of  self  and  of  their 

own  thoughts  that  they  cannot  go  forward  must  fail.      If,  with 

faith,  we  boldly  say,   "  I   can  do   all    things   through  Christ  which 

slrengtheneth  me,"  the  Lord  will  use  us  then. 

unflagging        Once  again,  our  spirit  must    he  one  of   unliaqqinq  zeal.     "It 
zcaL  n       j  i  i     j  j     j 


The  Work  of  To-Day.  197 

is  good  to  be  zealously  affected  always  in  a  good  thing."     It  is  Mr.RussEu, 

good  that  the  Lord's  work  should  be  carried  on  with  all  our 

heart  and  soul.    We  should  do  it — how  1     Feebly,  spasmodically, 

irregularly  1     No ;   but   with   all   our    heart   and   strength.     As 

Mr.  Spurgeon  has  said,   "My  brethren,  ram  yourselves  into  the 

gun."     You   know  what  he  meant — ram  the  true  shot  of   the 

gospel  into  the  gun  and  throw  yourselves  with  unreserved  zeal 

into  the  firing  of  it.     Well,  we  want  to  get  this  spirit.     There 

are  so  many  half-hearted  workers  who  seem  to  lack  the  fire,  the 

zeal,  the  energy — call  it  what  you  like.     We  want  go  ;  workers 

who  shall  not  turn  back  in  the  day  of  discouragement,  or  in  the 

day  of  battle ;  workers  ready,  when  men  criticise  and  condemn, 

to  stand  in  the  gap  full  of  holy  courage  and  untiring  zeal. 

Then  lastly  we  must  be  full  of  expectancy  of  results.  Many  do  Expecting 
not  expect  to  see  conversions,  while  some  are  content  with  but 
very  few.  And,  notwithstanding  that  one  of  the  greatest  and 
most  eloquent  preachers  from  America  was  pleased  to  tickle 
the  ears  of  his  audience  the  other  day  by  laughing  to  scorn  the 
idea  of  immediate  conversion,  Ave  have  the  Bible  in  our  hands, 
which  teaches  us  to  expect  this  result.  Paul  says  that  he  was 
sent  to  preach  the  gospel  to  the  Gentiles,  "  that  they  may  receive 
forgiveness  of  sins,  and  inheritance  among  them  which  are 
sanctified  by  faith ; "  and  the  other  apostles  speak  of  conversion 
and  immediate  salvation.  When  we  have  a  message  of  that  kind, 
let  us  have  expectancy  of  result. 

I  have  only  time  to  add  one  word  as  to  the  power  by  which  The  power. 
the  divine  purpose  is  accomplished.  Not  by  our  power,  or 
courage,  or  zeal,  or  faith,  but  by  the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 
"Not  by  might  nor  by  power,  but  by  My  Spirit,  saith  the  Lord." 
"  Tarry  ye  in  the  city  of  Jerusalem  until  ye  be  endued  with  power 
from  on  high." 

Look  at  this  London  to-day  ;  think  of  the  solemn  testimony  This  §reat 

i  .      -  j,    .  ,      .  London. 

borne  just  now,  that  not  one  in  four  of  its  population  attend  any 
of  those  places  erected  for  the  worship  of  God.  But  our  plans 
need  altering.  The  masses  fight  shy  of  churches  and  chapels, 
which  are  often  built  at  enormous  cost;  vast  sums  are  spent  on 
ornate  buildings  that  would  be  better  employed  in  erecting  plain 
convenient  mission  halls  and  in  sustaining  living  agents.  Well,  after 
a  quarter  of  a  century's  experience,  I  can  truly  say  that  the 
people  were  never  more  anxious  to  hear  the  gospel  than  they 
are  to-day.     Where  the  gospel  is  preached  earnestly,  with  the 


198  The  United  Kingdom  and  the  Colonic. 

Mr.RussEi  i  good  old  ring  of  the  Book  about  it,  men  will  come  and  listen.  Not 
to  my  ] naisc,  but  to  His  praise,  I  tell  it.     I  have  seen  thousands 

People  eager  converted  and  pass  into  the  fellowship  of  the  church  of  God  during 

gospel.  these  last  twenty  years  in  London  and  the  provinces,  and  what  I 
have  seen  you  may  also  see.  There  are  halls  where  the  gospel  is 
pleached,  holding  from  six  hundred  to  live  thousand  people,  and 
these  are  for  the  most  part  filled  every  Sunday.  Go  to  Mr. 
Charrington's  large  hall  in  the  East-end,  and  see  how  the  people 
are  thirsting  for  the  gospel,  and  ask  yourself  whether  you  may 
not  seek,  by  the  power  of  God,  to  bring  this  glorious  gospel  of 
salvation  to  some  of  the  dying  thousands  around  you. 

Let  us  go  q0(|  grarit  you  may  go  forth  impelled  by  that  power  for  which 

we  have  been  supplicating  here  to-night,  and  encouraged  by 
all  the  evidence  of  six  thousand  years,  and  having  your  zeal 
awakened  by  the  wide  doors,  everywhere  open  before  you,  go 
forth  saying,  "Here  am  I,  send  me."  Give  Him  no  rest  till  lb; 
send  you.  Then  you  will  have  that  great  joy — and  there  is  none 
like  it — the  joy  of  winning  souls  day  by  day,  till  they  come 
as  a  great  host,  thanking  God  that  they  have  heard  the  gospel 
through  you.  They  shall  be  your  crown  of  rejoicing  at  the 
coming  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  May  God  bless  you  all,  and 
stir  every  heart  to  do  something  for  Him  during  the  little  Avhile 
"till  He  come." 

Mr.  B.  Broomhall  read  an  extract  bearing  on  the  spiritual 
destitution  of  London,  and  the  influence  on  the  world  which  a 
truly  Christian  London  would  exert. 


GOD'S     INSTRUMENTS. 

By  Rev.  F.  B.  Meyer. 

Rev.  F.  B.     I  feel,   dear  friends,   that  these  moments  are  perhaps  the  most 

solemn  of  any  we  have  spent  during  these  three  happy  days  ;  and 

tiiiza-  I  cannot  but  trust  that  some  word  which  may  lie  spoken  may  be 

J!,',',",,'1,',,  the  means  of  bringing  to  crystallization  the  thoughts  and  resolves 
which  are  uow  floating  in  the  hearts  of  many.  May  1  specially 
ask  all  those  who  are  in  touch  with  Christ,  that  their  prayers 
may  ascend  to  God,  asking  that  the  closing  words  of  this 
Conference  may  lead  many  to  yield  their  lives  to  His  glorious 
service1? 


God's  Instruments.  199 

It  is  surely  very  wise  to  consider  the  question  of  the  United  Rev.  p.  B. 

Meyer. 

Kingdom  and  the  Colonies  at  the  close  of  this  Conference,  and 
I  will  show  you  why.  Very  often  when  you  are  in  a  mountainous 
country,  and  look  towards  the  distant  hills,  you  will  notice  two 
which  seem  to  "belong  to  the  same  chain,  and  to  be  standing  side 
by  side ;  but  when  you  come  nearer  to  the  first,  you  find  there  is 
a  chasm  between  it  and  the  next.  So  when  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
was  speaking  to  His  disciples  upon  the  Mount  of  Olives,  He 
described  in  the  same  discourse  events  which  were  to  happen  at 
two  great  crises.  He  did  not  say  how  far  these  crises  were  apart. 
He  spoke  of  them  in  one  breath,  and  did  not  reveal  that  a  long 
chasm,  called  "  the  times  of  the  Gentiles,"  was  to  interpose.     The  a  groat 

chasm. 

two  events  which  He  described  were — first,  the  fall  of  Jerusalem ; 
and  second,  His  own  coming  at  the  end  of  the  age.  Using  words 
applicable  to  each  crisis,  He  said  that  before  the  end  came,  in 
either  case,  the  gospel  should  be  preached  in  the  whole  world ; 
i.e.  the  whole  Roman  world  of  that  time,  and  the  whole  world  as 
it  lies  before  us  to-day. 

Now  I  want  to  remind  you  how  it  came  about  that  the  gospel  The  Roman 

J  ox        Empire. 

of  Jesus  was  proclaimed  so  easily  in  the  Roman  world,  between 
the  Lord's  ascension  and  the  fall  of  Jerusalem,  in  which  that  age 
closed.  Was  it  not  due  to  the  fact  that  the  Roman  Empire 
was  one  great  colony  1  Let  us  go  back  for  a  moment  and  try  to 
understand  the  state  of  the  world  at  that  time.  There  had  first 
been  the  golden-head  kingdom — that  kingdom  of  Babylon  which 
had  brought  the  vast  territory  of  the  known  world  beneath 
one  sway.  Then  came  the  Medio-Persian  Empire ;  and  in  that 
colossal  empire  the  organization  was  so  perfect,  that  in  nine 
months  the  decree  of  Ahasuerus  for  the  preservation  of  the  Jews 
was  carried  over  its  one  hundred  and  twenty-seven  provinces. 
Then  arose  that  great  empire  of  Alexander,  spreading  everywhere 
one  flexible  and  beautiful  language,  perhaps  the  most  perfect  for 
expression  of  thought  that  the  world  has  ever  seen ;  and  so 
the  Greek  language  was  spoken  north,  south,  east,  and  west,  and 
notably  at  Alexandria,  where  the  Hebrew  Bible  was  translated 
into  Greek,  that  having  become  the  language  of  the  time.  The 
Greek  Empire  having  served  its  purpose,  gave  place  to  the 
iron  empire  of  Rome ;  and,  and  as  those  who  have  studied 
history  and  the  New  Testament  know,  under  that  empire  there 
was  one  law  throughout  the  world,  one  coinage,  one  administration,  preparing 
and  one  system  of  government.     Its  ships  sailed  on  every  ocean,  the  Lord° 


200  The  United  Kingdom  and  the  Colonies. 

Rev.  F.  B.    its  standards  glistened  in  every  land  ;  and  to  be  a  Roman  citizen 

Meyer:  °  °  ' 

was  to  be  safe  amongst  barbarians  or  civilized,  bond  or  free. 
Anywhere  and  everywhere  there  was  protection  to  the  man  who 
could  say,  "I  am  a  Roman  citizen." 

Now  it  was  because  this  vast  empire  had  brought  the  whole 
Roman  world  so  really  into  one  that  it  became  possible  for  the 
early  disciples  to  carry  the  tidings  of  salvation  in  their  time  over 
all  the  known  world,  and  when  that  purpose  was  fulfilled  the 
Roman  Empire  was  dissolved  and  broken  up. 

crftifertLord.  Now  tlie  PurP0Se  tnat  was  thus  served  at  the  end  of  that  age, 
which  had  its  consummation  in  the  fall  of  Jerusalem,  is  being 
served  in  our  own  age — which,  as  Ave  believe,  is  soon  to  be 
consummated  in  the  advent  of  our  Lord — by  our  own  vast  empire 
of  Great  Britain  and  her  Colonies,  together  with  her  sister  nation 
of  the  United  States.  The  Anglo-Saxon-speaking  people  are 
surely  doing  to-day  the  very  same  work  in  the  world  that  the 
Roman  Empire  did  in  making  it  easy  for  the  evangelists  to  pass 
from  land  to  land  with  the  gospel  of  our  blessed  Lord.  Is  it  not 
so1?  Our  ships  are  known  on  every  ocean,  our  telegraph  wires 
link  the  whole  world  to  London,  our  posts  run  to  and  fro  every- 
where, our  citizens  are  respected,  and  our  coins  accepted  in  every 
land.  There  are  few  races  which  have  not  been  actually  touched 
by  our  Colonies  and  our  commerce.  The  present  Indian  and 
Colonial  Exhibition  is  a  witness  to  this.'  On  every  side  men 
of  many  tribes  and  races,  and  speaking  many  different  tongues, 
have  been  brought  together  under  the  same  roof,  by  the  fact 
of  the  huge  colonizing  influence  of  that  land  to  which  we  belong. 
All  this  has  made  it  easy  for  the  Christian  evangelist  to  go  forth 
with  the  story  of  the  cross,  but  at  the  same  time  it  has  laid 
upon  us  ever-growing  responsibility. 

The  close  of  that  previous  age  was  marked  by  a  great  disper- 
sion. Those  early  Christians  who  wire  brought  to  the  Saviour 
in  the  holy  city  clustered  together,  and  did  not  dare  fco  venture 
forth  until  there  came  the  persecution  which  arose  on  the  death 
of  Stephen,  that  sent  them  north  and  south,  east  and  west.  A 
few   of    them   went   to   Antioch,    and    founded    the    first   great 

Dispersion  missionary  church.  Now  a  similar  dispersion  is  surely  imminent 
for  English-speaking  Christians.  Only  let  us  not  wait  until  we 
are  driven  forth  as  they  were,  but  let  us  go  forth  gladly  and 
voluntarily,  carrying  the  good  tidings  of  great  joy.  To  this  end 
the  churches  and  the  several  congregations  of  Christian  people 


God's  Instruments.  201 

should  be  prepared  to  send  out  of  their  ranks  some  of  their  Rev.  f.  b. 
members  who  should  go  forth  and  be  maintained  by  their 
fellow-believers  at  home.  We  want  to  see  Christian  people,  to 
whom  God  has  given  a  comfortable  competence,  going  out  and 
maintaining  themselves  as  missionaries  in  foreign  parts.  We 
want  to  see  Christian  artizans,  able  to  support  themselves  by  their 
craft,  going  forth  to  evangelize  distant  lands.  We  want  to  see 
Christian  clerks  ready  to  go  out  and  take  situations  in  the  godless 
seaports  of  China,  that  they  may  witness  for  Jesus.  We  want  to 
see  men  and  women  tearing  themselves  from  home  influences 
and  home  comforts,  and  going  forth  to  take  nothing  from  the 
Gentiles,  but  to  preach  among  them  the  unsearchable  riches  of 
Christ. 

Now  may  it  not  be  that  in  this  audience  there  are  some  full  "Depart  far 

"*  hence. 

of  thought,  and  pondering  deeply  in  regard  of  this  matter  ?  You 
came  to  these  meetings  from  curiosity,  attracted  by  the  subject, 
and  prepared  to  get  what  information  you  could  for  future  use ; 
but  as  you  have  come  day  after  day  strange  thoughts  have  stirred 
within  you,  and  your  life  seems  to  be  on  the  balance,  whilst  you 
long  for  some  word  to  give  a  definite  direction  to  your  future  life, 
and  it  may  be  that  that  word  is  about  to  be  spoken  to  you  now. 
When  St.  Paul  knelt  in  the  temple  he  was  in  a  trance,  and  the 
Lord  said  unto  him,  "Depart:  for  I  will  send  thee  far  hence 
unto  the  Gentiles."  Well,  it  may  be  that  in  the  silent  hush  of 
this  meeting  to-night  to  some  longing,  yearning  heart  the  voice 
of  Christ  has  come,  and  is  heard  saying  to  you,  my  brother,  my 
young  brother,  standing  upon  the  threshold  of  life,  or  to  you, 
my  sister,  "  Depart  :  for  I  will  send  thee  far  hence  unto  the 
Gentiles."     Oh  that  it  may  be  so  for  His  name's  sake  ! 

Now  we  want  as  missionaries  the  very  best,  the  pick  of  men  Wanted: 
and  women — those  who  are  leaders  among  the  people.  When 
Saul  of  Tarsus  was  first  converted  we  may  suppose  that  there 
would  have  been  a  conference  to  know  what  to  do  with  him,  and 
many  might  say,  "  He  was  brought  up  at  the  feet  of  Gamaliel,  an 
erudite  man,  able  to  follow  out  trains  of  thought,  and  an  eloquent 
man.  We  want  such  a  man  at  home  to  meet  the  Eabbis  upon 
their  own  ground,  and  to  mix  with  the  upper  class  to  which  he 
belongs ;  we  want  this  new  convert  at  home,  he  shall  be  our 
apologist."  But  while  they  were  proposing  their  schemes,  away 
there  in  the  temple,  God  was  disposing  of  him  in  quite  another 
fashion,  and  saying,  "  Depart :  for  I  will  send  thee  far  hence  unto 


202  The  United  Kingdom  and  the  Colonies. 

Rev.  F.  B.    the  Gentiles."     And  Paul  spent  the  best  years  of  his  life  as  an 
Meyer.  .  .  . 

itinerant  missionary,  founding  new  churches.     Well,  we  want  men 

of  oratorical  and  argumentative  power  like  his. 

£he  j}ut  wt3  do  not  only  want  such  men.      We  want  the  nobodies  of 

'  nobodies.  J 

the  church,  those  who  think  they  are  of  no  use  at  all.  God  can 
make  use  of  them,  for  He  loves  to  take  the  broken  reeds  and 
make  them  pillars  for  His  temple.  He  loves  to  take  worms,  that 
with  them  He  may  thresh  the  mountains  and  beat  them  small,  and 
make  the  hills  as  chaff.  He  loves  to  take  a  Gideon,  the  youngest 
son ;  a  stranger,  with  an  ox  goad ;  a  Samson,  with  the  jawbone 
of  an  ass ;  and  a  David,  with  a  sling.  "  Not  by  might,  nor  by 
power,  but  by  My  Spirit,  saith  the  Lord  of  hosts."  Think  of  God's 
army.  He  has  sworn  to  bring  to  nought  the  things  that  are — the 
huge  idolatries,  the  vast  systems  of  thought,  and  all  the  mighty 
powers  of  darkness  that  oppose  the  kingdom  of  His  Son.     And 

God's  great  here  shall  pass  before  you  God's  army.  Mark,  it  well  deserves 
your  careful  thought,  these  five  squadrons.  Here  comes  the  first 
squadron.  Look  at  the  banner  which  they  carry.  These,  are  the 
fools,  "The  foolish  things  of  this  world;"  but  they  are  God's 
chosen  ones.  Behind  them  is  the  second  squadron,  and  on  their 
banner  is  their  name — "  The  weak  things  of  the  world."  Here 
they  come — frail  women,  little  children,  men  with  a  limp  like 
Jacob's;  but  they  are  God's  warriors.  Here  comes  the  third 
squadron,  bearing  a  banner  with  a  strange  device — "The  base 
things  of  this  world."  And  following  them  is  the  fourth 
squadron,  with  their  banner — "Despised  tilings."  Men  at  whom 
you  curl  the  lip  of  scorn,  who  have  never  shown  any  ability, 
who  have  had  no  training,  men  whom  you  would  have  thought 
the  last  in  the  world  to  do  a  single  stroke  of  successful  work 
for  God,  yet  these  are  the  instruments  He  uses.  And  now  for 
God's  rear-guard,  God's  picked  warriors — the  flower  of  chivalry. 
Who  are  they?  The  nobodies,  the  things  which  are  not.  These 
are  the  instruments  by  whom  God  will  bring  the  world  to  Himself. 
Why?  Because  God  can  do  without  our  strength,  lest  we 
begin  to  vaunt  ourselves.  He  must  have  room  to  work,  room  for 
the  display  of  His  power;  a  low  platform,  that  all  the  glory  may 
be  to  Him. 

a  Bum  in  I  want  you  to  do  a  sum  in  arithmetic,  to-night.     Add  together 

0  and  1,  how  much  is  it?  Is  it  not  one?  Now  add  0  to  1000, 
how  much  is  it?  Is  it  not  1000  1  Then  add  0  to  1,000,000,  is  it 
not  1,000,000  still?     Well  1  want  you  to  add  0  to  Deity,  how 


God's  Instruments.  203 

much  is  it  1     It  is  Deity.     It  is  not  our  strength  God  needs,  but  Kev.  f.  b. 

.  .  -r.r  ,  ,  ,  ,  Meyer. 

our  nothingness.  We  must  only  take  care  not  to  be  a  cypher  on 
the  wrong  side  of  the  numeral.  Put  it  on  the  right  side,  and  you 
multiply  tenfold ;  but  put  on  the  left  hand  you  diminish  at  an 
equal  rate.  Let  us  be  on  the  right  side  of  God,  so  that  His  work 
may  not  be  impeded  but  forwarded  by  us. 

You  then  who  are  feeling  utterly  helpless  and  useless  take 
heart,  for  you  are  probably  the  very  ones  that  God  can  use  the 
best ;  but  before  you  offer  yourselves,  remember  there  are  four 
conditions  to  be  fulfilled  : 

1st.  Your  eye  must  be  on  heaven — "I  saw  the  Lord  .  .  .  high  Tll.e.J?y^ 

J  o     uplifted. 

and  lifted  up."  (Isaiah  vi.  1.)  And  you  must  look  not  only  to 
God,  but  must  mark  the  proportion  of  heavenly  service.  "  With 
twain  he  covered  his  face,  with  twain  he  covered  his  feet,  and 
with  twain  he  did  fly."  Two-thirds  of  reverent  worship  and 
one-third  of  active  devotion,  so  at  last  will  you  drink  in  the  spirit 
of  heavenly  service. 

2nd.  Your  soul  must  be  in  the  dust.     "  Woe  is  me  !  for  I  am  The  snnl 

bowed 

undone."     Do  you  realise  your  nothingness  and  helplessness  and  down, 
sinfulness  to-day  ?     It  is  when  a  man  gets  low  down  in  the  dust, 
so   that  he  feels  himself    the  chief    of    sinners   or    the  least  of 
saints,  when  he  cries,  "  Woe  is  me  !  for  I  am  undone." 

3rd.   Then  is  he  ready  for  the  third  condition  of  having  the  coal  p^P8.    . 

J  °  touched. 

of  fire  upon  his  lips.  He  came,  "  having  a  live  coal  in  his  hand, 
which  he  had  taken  with  the  tongs  from  off  the  altar :  and  he  laid 
it  upon  my  mouth."  Do  you  know  that?  Have  you  lifted  your 
lips  to  that  burning  coal  to  be  purged  and  set  on  fire  1  Do  you 
know  what  it  is  to  have  the  fire  in  your  heart,  so  that  you 
cannot  forbear  1 

4th.  Then  the  fourth  condition  is,  to  lay  your  will  upon  the  The  wil1  sur- 

'  J    J  l  rendered. 

altar.  "  Here  am  I,  send  me."  Well  do  I  know  if  you  try  to  do 
that  to-night  the  devil  will  try  his  best  to  dissuade  you.  "  How 
would  you  like  to  be  sent  to  the  deadly  climate  of  the  West  Coast 
of  Africa  1  How  would  you  like  to  go  to  the  Arctic  snows  1  How 
would  you  like  to  be  sent  to  the  Chinese,  for  which  you  have 
such  a  special  aversion1?"  And  so  you  are  inclined  to  stipulate 
with  God,  and  say,  "Anywhere  but  to  such-and-such  a  place." 
God  will  not  have  stipulations.  What  He  wants  is,  that  we  place 
ourselves  on  His  altar,  saying,  "  Here  am  I,  send  me,"  without 
one  single  reserve.  But  you  say  it  is  impossible  for  me  to  be 
fully  willing  to  go  anywhere.     Let  me  give  you  a  holy  secret. 


204  The  United  Kingdom  and  the  Colonics. 

Rev.  f.  b.  Tell  God  so,  and  that  you  are  willing  to  be  made  willing.  He 
will  bend  your  will  for  you.  He  will  take  it  and  make  it  flexible, 
and  shape  it  according  to  His  mind.  He  will  not  break  the 
bruised  reed,  or  quench  the  smoking  flax. 

Yield  yourselves  then  to  Him  to-night.  There  will  be  an 
opportunity  given  you  after  the  burning  words  yet  to  be  spoken. 
Come  and  join  with  others,  saying,  "Heavenly  Father,  I  am  ready 
to  stop  or  to  go,  to  stand  up  or  to  sit  down ;  aye,  or  to  lie  down  if 
Thou  will.  Send  me  north,  south,  east,  or  west,  it  is  all  one  to  me, 
if  only  I  may  be  used  by  Thee."  Let  us  open  our  hearts,  and  let 
the  Son  of  God  in,  that  He  may  weep  through  our  eyes,  love 
through  our  affections,  think  through  our  brains.  We  can  never 
get  a  missionary  spirit  by  simply  sitting  in  meetings  and  listen  in- 
to speeches,  never.  The  only  way  is  to  get  the  first  great 
Missionary  to  come  and  live  within  us.  Let  us  then  admit  the 
Son  of  God  to-day,  that  He  may  infuse  His  own  passion  for  dying 
men  into  our  being,  and  thrill  us  with  His  thoughts  of  love 
towards  a  perishing  world. 

Daily  Then,  again,  let  us  do  the  little  things — speaking  a  word  for 

faithfulness.  .  °  °  y  ° 

Him  in  the  tram,  or  street,  or  wherever  we  have  the  opportunity. 
Let  us  remember  that  the  man  Avho  has  refused  to  use  little 
opportunities  will  never  get  larger  ones.  If  you  refuse  to  look 
after  your  few  sheep  in  the  wilderness,  you  will  never  be  the 
shepherd  of  Israel.  If  you  do  not  bear  witness  in  Jerusalem, 
you  will  never  be  called  to  bear  witness  in  Rome.  If  you  are 
not  faithful  in  the  least,  you  will  never  have  a  chance  of  being 
faithful  in  much.  If  you  are  not  careful  of  the  five  talents,  you 
can  never  be  the  ruler  of  ten  cities.  Do  not  get  into  bondage, 
but  keep  your  eye  upon  Christ.  Remember  that  from  morning 
to  night  your  soul  must  be  stirred  with  one  thought — not  to  push 
a  church,  not  to  increase  a  denomination,  not  even  to  save  men, 
but  first  ami  foremost  to  do  His  will,  to  promote  His  glory,  and 
to  magnify  His  name,  whether  by  life  or  death. 

After  this  address  Hymn  No.  18  was  sung — 

"  Stand  up  !  stand  up  for  Jesus  ! 
Ye  soldiers  of  the  cross." 

The    closing    address    of    the    Conference    was    given    by    Mr. 
Radcliffe. 


A  Call  to  the  Churches.  205 


A    CALL   TO    THE    CHUECHES. 

By  Mr.  Reginald  Radcliffb. 

Dear  Friends, — Had  there  been  time  I  would  have  liked  to  Mr.  r. 
have  read  to  you  some  lines  from  Dr.  Duff,  declaring  how  we  in 
Scotland  and  England  have  got  into  a  state  of  dislocation,* 
that  whilst  we  are  building  churches  and  chapels  in  this  country, 
and  spending  our  money  upon  them,  at  least  nine-tenths  (it 
would  be  better  to  say  almost  nineteenth-twentieths)  of  that 
money  would  have  been  spent  upon  the  far-off  heathen,  if  we 
had  been  following  Christ's  directions ;  and  thus  it  has  come  to 
pass  that  we  are  in  a  state  of  dislocation,  and  you  know  when  A  state  of 

dislocation. 

a  man  has  his  thigh  dislocated  it  is  very  difficult  for  him  to 

walk.      The   Dean   of    Llandaff  says  very  truly,  that   when   we  £lie  Pe|n  of 

forget    our   own    people,   and  think    generously   of    those   people 

whom  the  Lord  would  have  us  think  of,  then,  and  not  till  then, 

can  we  get  a  blessing  upon  London.     It  is  when  we  begin  to 

remember  the  Lord's  command,  to  think  of  the  far-distant  ones,  * 

that  we  may  expect  to  get  a  blessing  on  our  own  little  England. 

When  one  thinks  of    our  land  full  of   such  papers  as  that  boy 

had  of  whom  we  were  hearing  from  the  Chairman,  no  wonder, 

I    say,    that    our    city    and   our    land  are   full   of    licentiousness, 

and  some  of   our  streets  a  disgrace  to  any  heathen  town.      No 

wonder    that    when    we    print    Bibles    and    sell    Testaments    for 

one  penny  the  blessing  of   God  is  not  with  them.     The  people 

do  not  even   buy  them.      "We  do   not  need   any  one   to  teach 

us   this,    we    have   it   so   in   God's    own   Word.      We   read   in 

Haggai  i.  :    "Then  came  the  word  of   the  Lord  by   Haggai   the  " Because  of 

00  .  .         mine  house 

prophet,  saying,  Is  it  time  for  you,  0  ye,  to  dwell  in  your  ceiled  that  is_ 
houses,  and  this  house  lie  waste  1  Now  therefore  thus  saith  the 
Lord  of  hosts ;  Consider  your  ways.  Ye  have  sown  much,  and 
bring  in  little ;  ye  eat,  but  ye  have  not  enough ;  ye  drink,  but  ye 
are  not  filled  with  drink ;  ye  clothe  you,  but  there  is  none  warm ; 
and  he  that  earneth  wages  earneth  wages  to  put  it  into  a  bag  with 
holes.  Thus  saith  the  Lord  of  hosts ;  Consider  your  ways.  Go 
up  to  the  mountain,  and  bring  wood,  and  build  the  house ;  and  I 


*  See  "  Inverting  the  Divine  Order,"  by  Dr.  Duff,  Missionary  Bcrnd,  p.  87. 


206 


The  United  Kingdom  and  the  Colonies. 


Mr.  R. 
Kadcliffe. 


Tithes  not 
brought  in. 


The  need  of 

personal 

surrender. 


will  take  pleasure  in  it,  and  I  will  be  glorified,  saith  the  Xord. 
Ye  look  for  much,  and,  lo,  it  came  to  little ;  and  when  ye  brought 
it  home,  I  did  blow  upon  it.  Why?  saith  the  Lord  of  hosts. 
Because  of  Mine  house  that  is  waste,  and  ye  run  every  man  unto 
his  own  house.  Therefore  the  heaven  over  you  is  stayed  from 
dew,  and  the  earth  is  stayed  from  her  fruit.  And  I  called  for  a 
drought  upon  the  laud,  and  upon  the  mountains,  and  upon  the 
corn,  and  upon  the  new  wine,  and  upon  the  oil,  and  upon  that 
which  the  ground  bringeth  forth,  and  upon  men,  and  upon  cattle, 
and  upon  all  the  labour  of  the  hands." 

Someone  has  already  referred  to  bringing  in  the  tithes  into  the 
storehouse,  that  the  windows  of  heaven  may  he  opened.  But  we 
are  not  bringing  in  the  tithes,  Ave  refuse  deliberately  to  do  so. 
When  a  Conference  like  this  is  called  to  consider  the  evan- 
gelization of  the  world,  that  would  turn  our  stores  into  world- 
wide blessings,  the  place  is  not  filled.  There  are  not  10,000 
people  coming  rushing  here  to  learn  about  what  is  occupying  the 
eager,  longing  heart  of  Christ.  If  He  had  compassion  upon  the 
bellies  of  these  5000  people  who  were  only  hungry  for  a  bit  of 
bread,  He  has  ten  thousand  times  more  compassion  upon  the 
perishing  souls  of  the  millions  in  India  and  Africa.  That  black 
account  our  beloved  friend  gave  us  last  night,  when  he  took  us 
over  that  map  of  Africa,  is  only  a  part  of  it,  only  a  bit  of 
heathenism. 

Now  we  do  want  to  have  a  word  with  you;  not  so  much 
about  the  heathen  as  about  surrendering  yourselves  to  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ.  It  may  be  to  stick  here,  or  it  may  be  to  go  to 
other  lands;  but  let  this  be  a  night  for  decision,  let  Christ  enter 
into  every  heart ;  ground  your  arms  at  His  feet,  and  let  Christ  in. 
Yield  to  Him  implicit  and  instant  obedience,  and  we  will  not 
trouble  you  about  going  to  the  heathen,  or  going  anywhere.  Let 
Him  be  King  of  every  man  and  woman  in  the  place  to-night. 
What  a  mean  sort  of  thing  it  is  to  receive  Him  as  Saviour,  to 
cleanse  away  our  sin,  and  not  to  let  Him  reign  within.  Let  Him 
be  King  here  over  each  heart,  and  there  will  he  a  shout  that  will 
lift  the  roof  off  this  hall,  and  the  effect  will  go  throughout  London. 
You  would  not  need  the  press  or  the  newspapers  to  tell  them 
about  it.  We  would  then  become  a  blessing  I"  this  great  city, 
and  Cod  would  get  many  of  us  out  of  London,  and  send  us  to 
the  ends  of  the  earth. 

(  >nr    beloved    brother   last   night   only   touched   a   little   bit  of 


A  Call  to  the  Churches.  207 

this    black  catalogue.      FoIIoav  me    for  a  moment.     It   is   said  Mr.  r. 

that  now,  after  one  hundred  years  of    labour,  since  Carey  went 

to  work  to  rouse  the  churches  of  this  nation  to  have  a  little  pity  A  hundred 

1      °    years  of 

on  the  heathen,  we  have  won  from  the  Mohammedan  and  heathen  missions, 
world  three  millions  of  converts.  But  the  missionaries  here  will 
begin  like  a  doctor  to  dissect  the  three  millions,  and  very  speedily 
will  they  dissect  it.  They  will  tell  us  that  out  of  that  number 
only  a  little  over  half  a  million — that  is,  about  the  population 
of  Liverpool — or,  if  very  liberal,  they  may  say  three-quarters  of  a 
million,  are  communicants.  Where  are  your  three  millions  gone 
to  1  They  are  only  members  of  the  community,  like  our  church- 
goers in  London.  These  three-quarters  of  a  million  are  all  that 
has  been  won  from  the  heathen  by  one  hundred  years'  labour. 

You  will  recollect  that  a  little  while  ago  the  Church  Missionary  How  the 
Society  issued  a  little  pamphlet,  and  showed  that  our  nobility  are  ^ive.  iy 
contributing  almost  nothing  for  the  work  of  the  heathen  through 
this  Society.     Come  with  me  a  step  further.     A  minister  came  to 
me  after  a  meeting  at  Alexandria,  near  Glasgow,  in  the  house  of 
dear  young  Orr-Ewing,  who   threw  up  his  business  and  is  now 
labouring  in  China,  this  minister  came  to  me  and  said  that  in  the  Ministers 
Free   Church   of    Scotland   there    had   scarcely  been  any   settled  sionaries. 
ministers  who  had  got  churches   and   had  given  them   up   and 
gone  out  to  work  among  the   heathen.     Some  young  men  who 
would  have  become  ministers,  and  some  who  had  not  got  churches 
have  gone ;    but  where  were  the  settled  ministers  1     Well,  you 
know,  after  Carey  aroused  us,  we  could  not  get  any  clergymen  of 
the  Church  of  England  to  go  out.     We  had  to  borrow  men  from 
Germany,   whilst  we   supplied    the    money.      But   you  may   say, 
"That  was  only  at  the  start."     Come  down  then  to  this  evening. 
Where    will   you    find    beneficed    clergymen    of    the    Church    of 
England,  who  have  given  up  their   "  livings "   and  gone   to   the 
heathen  1  and  the  jSTonconformists  are  just  the  same. 

Well,  now,  see  how  the  devil  has  been  stopping  God's  work.  What  of  the 

'  '  i  laymen? 

We  are  almost  all  alike.  Where  are  the  laymen  who  have  gone 
at  their  own  expense  until  in  very  late  years  1  They  have  gone  to 
India — Scotchmen  and  Englishmen — and  made  fortunes,  it  is 
true.  Where,  until  lately,  had  we  any  sisters  going  out  1  Here 
again  we  were  deluded  by  the  devil.  I  go  back  to  the  clergymen 
and  ministers,  to  show  you  how  the  devil  has  thrown  hindrances 
in  the  way  of  the  work.  They  have  not  only  not  gone  themselves, 
but  they  have  made  a  sort  of  rule  that  no  young  man  should 


208 


Tlic  United  Kingdom  and  the  Colonics. 


Mr.  R. 
Radcliffe. 


Chinamen 
to  stir 
English- 
men. 


A  shaking 
wanted. 


Believes  a 

great  work 
is  approach' 
ing. 


go  out  until  he  has  gone  through  a  long  college  curriculum.  One 
barrier  after  another  has  been  raised,  and  thus  the  devil  has  been 
shutting  us  out  from  the  heathen.  If  we  look  at  the  Jews,  we 
have  had  them  scattered  amongst  us  in  our  large  towns  in 
England ;  we  could  have  gone  across  the  street,  so  to  speak, 
and  told  them  about  the  Saviour,  so  that  many  of  them  might 
have  been  converted.  Yet  we  wonder  that  we  have  such  things 
going  on  in  London  as  have  been  referred  to  this  night.  I  would 
say,  we  must  not  expect  anything  else  until  we  begin  to  obey  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ.  Then  we  shall  see  a  mighty  flood  of  blessing. 
I  trust  and  believe  it  is  coming. 

I  do  not  know  that  within  five  or  seven  years  we  shall  not 
see  on  this  platform  and  in  the  pulpits  of  our  churches  a  lot 
of  Chinamen  coming  to  speak  to  us  English,  to  tell  us  that 
Christ  has  come  into  their  hearts,  and  to  ask  us  to  be  wholly 
consecrated  and  surrendered  to  Christ,  because  in  China  they 
have  received  Christ,  not  only  to  save  them,  but  to  dwell  in 
them.  And  so  too  from  Central  Africa  we  may  see  black 
natives,  who  have  received  Christ ;  and  He  has  washed  them  white 
as  snow,  and  under  the  black  skin  their  hearts  are  white  and 
clean,  and  these  natives  from  Africa  are  ready  to  go  anywhere  and 
everywhere  for  Jesus.  They  will  come  to  rebuke  the  evil  life 
in  our  nation,  and  to  teach  us  our  duty  to  the  perishing  heathen. 
I  believe  we  may  see  Chinese  and  Indians  and  Africans — men 
idled  with  the  Holy  Ghost — shaking  us  laymen  and  clergymen 
in  our  assemblies  and  conferences,  from  archbishops  and  bishops, 
down  to  the  lowest  and  humblest  of  us;  the  moderators  of 
assembly  in  Scotland,  down  to  the  humblest  there.  I  tell  you,  in 
the  name  of  the  living  Cod,  we  want  shaking  too  ;  and  not  only 
so,  but  bringing  down  into  the  very  dust :  then  the  Lord  shall  lift 
us  up.  Oh,  brethren  and  sisters,  my  heart  longs  for  you,  and  for 
myself,  as  I  speak,  that  we  may  be  brought  low,  that  Christ  may 
be  manifestly  King  to  us  and  in  us,  that  we  may  be  filled 
with  joy,  with  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  with  power. 

Now  I  tell  you  what  the  Lord  does  make  me  believe ;  it  is  this  : 
I  do  believe  He  is  going  to  make  bare  His  mighty  arm  in  India, 
and  China,  and  Africa;  I  believe  they  are  going  to  hear  His 
voice.  These  black  sons,  and  red  sons,  ami  yellow  sons,  they  are 
going  to  have  that  arm  of  power  which  has  been  dishonoured  in 
London,  in  the  churches  and  amongst  Nonconformists,  for  I  speak 
alike  of  all ;  we  have;  been  dishonouring  the  Lord,  He  has  been 


A  Call  to  the  Churches.  209 

wounded  in  the  house  of  His  friends.     We  have  wounded  Him  Mr.  r. 

Radclifff. 

when  we  should  have  been  full  of  power,  and  we  have  been  laying 

our  heads  in  the  lap  of  Delilah,  and  wist  not  that  the  Holy  Ghost  5[01Sdjng 

has  departed  from  us.     You    will  never  convert  the  world   by  Spirit  tydis- 

1  J   obedience. 

culture  or  education,  you  will  never  evangelize  the  world  by  any- 
thing but  by  the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  Oh,  come,  let  us  be 
just  what  He  has  been  asking  us  to  be,  as  little  children  !  Let  us 
lean  upon  the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  made  nigh  by  the  blood  of 
Jesus.  Make  bare  Thine  arm,  0  Lord ;  come  forth  as  a  Man  of  War, 
and  overturn,  overturn  till  Thou  art  magnified !  He  shall  use  the 
base  things.  Well,  black  negroes  would  be  considered  here  the  base 
things ;  let  us  have  them  :  the  Chinese  would  be  thought  the  base 
things;  let  us  have  them.  When  you  look  at  the  greatest  savages  God  may  use 
on  earth,  at  the  most  degraded  form  of  men,  who  I  have  heard 
have  faces  like  monkeys,  if  they  have  hearts  filled  with  the  Holy 
Ghost ;  let  them  speak  to  us  if  the  Lord  has  laid  His  hand  upon 
them,  and  we  are  hungering  for  God  to  speak.  When  our 
missionaries  go  to  India,  Africa,  or  China,  are  we  not  too  apt  to 
forget  them  ?  yet  when  our  soldiers  were  in  the  Crimea  we  kept 
sending  things  to  them — food,  and  rations,  and  supplies.  Now  I 
cannot  say  more ;  this  Conference  is  met  for  a  very  special 
purpose,  and  I  believe  the  Lord  has  blessed,  is  blessing,  and  will 
bless  this  gathering. 


MISSIONARY   INTELLIGENCE 

AND 

REGISTRATION. 

Thursday  Afternoon,  October  7th,  1886. 


Mr.  J.  E.      On  Thursday  afternoon  a  meeting  was  held,   presided  over  by 
Mr.    James    E.    Mathieson,    to    consider    a    proposal    as    to    a 
considering  Missionary  Intelligence  and  Registration  Office. 

o.  new 

proposal.  After  the  singing  of  Hymn  No.  2 — 

"Ye  servants  of  God,  your  Master  proclaim, 
And  publish  abroad  His  wonderful  name," 

prayer  was  presented  by  Rev.  John  Wilkinson  and  Captain 
Baring,  and  the  following  addresses  were  given  in  explanation 
of  the  plan  : 

A  FELT   WANT. 

By  Mr.  James  E.  Mathieson. 

Mr.  J.  e.  There  has  been  long  felt  by  many  workers  a  strong  desire  for 
some  central  place  where  information  might  be  obtained  aboul 
Missions  at  home  and  abroad,  where  persons  desiring  to  offer 
Mr.  Penne-  themselves  might  be  guided  and  warned  if  need  be,  and  where, 
plan.  "  generally  speaking,  facilities  might  be  given  to  those  who  might 
wish  to  find  a  plane,  for  work.  T  may  say  before  dear  Mi.  Penne- 
father  was  called  away  he  had  some  such  thought  in  his  mind, 
and  proposed  to  Mr.  Wilkinson  to  undertake  a.  work  of  this  kind, 
and  to  make  Mildmaya  place  where  information  on  the  subjecl 
might  be  procured. 

Now  this  thought  has  been  exceedingly  laid  on  the  heart  of 
Mr.  Fry  and  Mr.  Meyer.  I  believe  many  have  fell  there  is  a 
great  need  of  such  a  place,  where  people  may  go  for  information 
as  to  work  anywhere.  Mr.  Fry  has,  I  believe,  visited  a 
number  of  the  mission -fields  of  the  world,  and  is  just  the  man 
for  such  an  undertaking  as  tins. 


Explanation  of  the  Plan.  211 


EXPLANATION   OF  THE  PLAN. 

By  Mr.  H.  W.  Fry. 

The  way  in  which  I  came  to  take  up  this  little  work,  or  rather  to  H.  w.  fry. 
take  part  in  it,  was  this :  I  saw  a  letter  from  Mr.  Meyer  in  the  TT     .. 

-1  J  How  it  was 

Christian,   pointing  out   the  want  of   some  place   where  people  suggested. 

determining  to  emigrate,  and  who  were  desirous  of  going  where 

they  could  find  openings  to  work  for  the  Lord,  could  apply  for 

information  to  guide  them  in  the  choice  of   a  destination,  and 

saying  that  information  was  very  limited   in  this   respect.      It 

appeared  to  me  a  good  suggestion;  so  I  took  up  my  pen  and  wrote 

a  reply,  leaving  it  to  the  Lord  whether  the  letter  should  appear  or 

not.     There  was  no  good  in  a  mere  suggestion  unless  some  one 

took  it  up ;  so  in  case  there  was  no  one  else  to  do  it,  I  thought  I 

would.     Hence  I  suggested  that  anyone  sufficiently  interested  in 

the  subject  should  communicate  with  me  if  they  felt  inclined  to 

do  so.     My  letter  appeared,  and  I  had  four  or  five  answers.     A 

few  of  these  friends  met,  and  we  drew  out  between  us  a  rough  Preliminary 

consultation 

draught  and  a  scheme,  of  which  in  its  more  mature  form  I  am 
for  the  present  acting  as  Honorary  Secretary.  The  best  way  will 
be  for  me  to  read  the  circular  about  it,  and  offer  a  few  explan- 
ations. We  had  some  difficulty  in  fixing  upon  a  suitable  name — 
a  name  that  would  express  something  understandable.  "We  chose 
one  explanatory  of  our  object  rather  than  what  one  might  like. 
We  call  it  "  The  Missionary  Intelligence  and  Registration  Office,  The  name. 
for  the  Registration  of  Missionary  Information  and  the  encourage- 
ment of  vigorous  Self-Supporting  Missionary  Enterprise  in  all 
parts  of  the  world;"  and  the  present  address  is  186,  Aldersgate 
Street,  London,  E.C. 

The  objects  of  this  office  are :  First,  To  collect  and  put  into  ]ffo°r^0:n 
practical  form  reliable  information  concerning  spiritually-destitute 
and   neglected   places,    as   well   as  Christian  work  in  operation 
throughout   the   world,    and   to    disseminate   the    same    through 
suitable  channels. 

Both  these  objects  are  highly  important  and  most  necessary  if 
missionary  work  is  to  be  carried  on  properly.  There  must  be 
such  a  central  place  where  information  connected  with  mission 
work  can  be  collected  and  preserved  for  reference,  so  that  when 

p  2 


212  Missionary  Intelligence  and  Registration. 

H.  w.  Fry.  we  obtain  information  Avhich  we  require  we  may  use  it,  and  it 
may  be  also  available  for  anybody  else. 

2nd<rt>ject:  Second.  To  call  attention  to  promising  fields  of  labour,  and  to 
encourage  all  (men  or  women)  who  are  willing  to  be  used  in 
the  Lord's  service  for  the  evangelization  of  the  world,  and  to 
furnish  missionary  information. 

The  workers  at  present  in  the  field  will  never  do  missionary 
work  as  it  ought  to  be  done,  will  never  do  the  work  missionary 
effort  was  meant  to  accomplish.  If  we  have  to  get  the  gospel  to 
every  nation  and  every  creature,  we  shall  never  do  it  at  the  rate 
we  have  been  going.  The  church,  as  a  body,  will  not  take  it  up, 
and  individuals  must  take  it  up;  but  individuals  have  not  the 
information  necessary  to  direct  them.  When  a  man  or  woman 
feels  led  to  go  into  the  mission -field,  it  should  not  lie  in  the 
power  of  man  to  say,  "  You  shall  not  go."  Yet  that  has  often 
been  done. 

3rd  object:  Third.  To  establish  a  system  of  correspondents  in  foreign 
lands,  who  will  report  on  suitable  openings  for  missionaries, 
self-supporting  or  otherwise,  and  act  as  referees  to  those  who 
go  out;  also  generally  to  keep  the  office  furnished  with  suitable 
information,  and  to  put  those  of  the  Lord's  people  who  may 
travel,  en  rapport  with  Christian  people  in  the  countries  they 
may  visit. 

There  is  a  great  deal  of  this  sort  of  information  that  might 
be  collected  and  made  available,  if  it  were  collected  and  properly 
arranged.  In  my  visits  to  mission-fields  in  out-of-the-way  parts  of 
the  world,  I  am  sure  I  have  found  that  Christians  would  feel 
it  the  greatest  privilege  if  other  Christians  would  visit  them  and 
cheer  them.  It  is  very  important  work.  I  feel  that  Christians 
travelling  should  endeavour  to  be,  more  useful  in  this  respect,  by 
encouraging  labourers  and  looking  up  isolated  missionaries.  We 
know  how  even  here  in  England  ministers  and  others  welcome  a 
fresh  voice.  If  this  is  good  here,  how  much  better  in  the  mission- 
field,  where  the  missionary  stands  very  much  alone  !  To  him 
it  must  be  of  great  value. 

4th object:        Fourth.     To  urge  on  Christian  people  throughout  Great  Britain 
claims  of  e  and  elsewhere  the  claims  of  the  heathen,  and  their  responsibilities 
fcheheathen-  respecting   them,    and   to   seek    to    infuse   zeal    and   energy  into 
the  Christian  public  at  large  for  the  support  of  missionary  enter- 
prise with  their  means  and  influence. 

Of  course,  we  speak  here  of  the  Christian  public,  and  we  mean 


Explanation  of  the  Plan.  213 

the  Christian  public,  as  far  as  possible ;  but  the  public  is  made  up  H.  w.  Fry. 
of    individuals,   and  it   is   to   individuals   we   appeal   to   supply 
workers  with  means  to  carry  on  the  work. 

Fifth.     To    stimulate    Christian   congregations   to   seek  repre-  |th  SM*^*; 
sentation  on   the  foreign  field   by   members   selected,   sent  out,  cpngrega- 

°  J  '  '  tions. 

and  maintained  from  amongst  themselves. 

We  consider  it  a  very  important  thing  to  get  every  congregation 
in  the  different  churches  to  have  their  own  missionaries.  Is 
it  too  much  to  expect,  because  now  many  missionaries  go  out  with 
very  little  to  support  them1?  It  is  not  so  much  a  question  of 
finding  means,  as  of  finding  the  men  who  will  go  out  for 
bare  expenses,  just  enough  to  live  upon.  I  believe  there  are 
many  willing  to  go  out  for  a  very  small  consideration.  We  will  . 
do  our  best  to  provide  the  proper  people,  if  you  seek  to  provide 
the  means. 

Next  come  the  departments  already  decided  upon,  though  these  The  depart- 
will  naturally  lead  to  a  great  many  more.     We  cannot  do  every- 
thing at  once.     We  want  to  make  a  sound,  if  small  beginning, 
and  we  hope  many  things  will  come  to  the  front  one  by  one. 

The  first  department  is  a  Eegistry  op  Missionary  Effort  in  a  registry  of 

1  ,         missions. 

all  Parts  of  the  World. — This  will   embrace  all  evangelical 

work  of  whatever  name,  and  be  a  permanent  record  of  the  same, 

available  for  all  desiring  the  information.     (Vide  Form  A.) 

Since  I  have  been  thinking  about  this  matter,  I  have  looked  at 

reports  from  different  parts  of   the  mission -field  to  see  what  is 

going  on,  and  I  have  seen  the  reports  of  missionary  societies  some 

of  which  I  had  never  heard  of  before.     If  I  had  wanted  to  help 

them,  I  should  not  have  known  how  to  find  them.     To  show  how 

important  this  is,  I  may  mention  I  had  a  letter  from  a  lady  who 

said  she  had  entrusted  to  her  a  subscription  of  £5  for  a  particular 

mission,   but   could  not  find   out   how  to  send  it.     She  did  not 

know  the  address,  how  to  send  the  money,  or  how  to  find  out. 

Such  things  show  the  need  of  this  agency,  where  all  can  apply  for 

any  such  information. 

Then  a  Eegistry  of  Kequirements. — This  will  be  a  means  of  Require- 
ments. 
bringing  work  before  workers,  and  workers  to  the  work.     ( Vide 

Forms  B  &  C.) 

We  want  to  introduce  the  work  to  the  workers,  and  the  workers 
to  the  work. 

Then  a  Eegistry  of  Employment  for  Missionaries. — To  firing  Employ- 
to  the  notice  of   Christian  men  and  women   suitable  means  of 


214  Missionary  Intelligence  and  Registration. 

H.  w.  Fry.  livelihood,  by  which  they  may  support  themselves  abroad,  if 
necessary,  while  working  for  the  Lord.     {Vide  Form  D.) 

Those  who  go  abroad  to  be  supported  by  the  various  societies 
or  congregations,  or  who  receive  support  from  friends,  will  not 
need  our  assistance  in  this  particular ;  but  others,  who  are 
willing  to  go  abroad  and  labour  to  support  themselves,  will  of 
course  be  glad  to  know  what  suitable  openings  exist.  Amongst 
these  are  railway  employes,  mechanics,  professional  men,  and 
others,  for  whom  such  opening  could  easily  be  found.  At  present 
we  have  a  letter  stating  that  an  engineer  is  wanted  to  work  a 
steamer  on  the  Congo,  and  do  evangelistic  work. 

Commimica-  Then  we  ask  communications  from  all  who  are  in  a  position  to 
further  the  objects  of  this  office,  or  from  all  desiring  information 
on  various  heads ;  as,  though  at  present  of  course  but  little  data 
has  been  collected,  yet  the  enquiries  received  will  be  a  guide 
to  the  information  desired.  Forms  have  been  prepared  which 
elaborate  the  particulars  which  should,  as  far  as  possible,  be 
furnished  in  the  case  of  every  registration.  These  forms  are  four 
in  number  ;  viz.  : 

A.  For  the  registration  of  any  particular  missionary  effort. 

B.  For  the  registration  of  suggested  openings  abroad,  where 
Christian  workers  may  be  profitably  employed. 

C.  For  the  registration  of  Christian  workers  seeking  a  missionary 
sphere. 

D.  For  the  registration  of  opportunities  of  suitable  secular 
employment  for  the  support  of  missionaries. 

These  forms  will  be  supplied  on  application  to  the  Secretary  at 
offices  186,  Aldersgate  Street,  E.G. 

Existing  This  work  is  not  to  be  put  in  rivalry  against  any  of  the  societies, 

but  to  work  in  harmony  with  them  all,  and  perhaps  help  them. 
We  hope  and  believe  that  we  shall  be  able  to  supply  even  the 
societies  with  a  great  deal  of  information;  but  we  specially 
desire  to  put  the  public  in  possession  of  reliable  information 
about  the  work  being  done,  the  work  to  be  done,  and  also 
the  best  mode  of  doing  it.  Looking  over  the  mission-field, 
we  see  the  labourers,  to  some  extent  like  regiments  of  soldiers, 
without  any  head-quarters  Of  course  we  all  recognize  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  as  our  Commander-in-Chief \  bul  we  want  some 
neutral  place  where  all  can  compare  notes  and  help  one  another, 
and  wc  desire  to  provide  such  a  place. 

Detaiisof         \  s\Vd\]  ;ns\,  reati  y0u  one  of  the  forms  of  questions  we  have 

forms.  o  j  a 


Explanation  of  the  Plan.  215 

had  printed.     Our  reason  for  having  these  forms  drawn  out  is  h.  w.  fry. 

this — when  we  write  a  letter  asking  for  information,  we  may 

receive  a  long  letter  in  reply  giving  perhaps  a  good  many  details 

we  do  not  require,  and  omitting  many  things  we  wish  to  know ; 

but  with  a  set  of  definite  questions  before  them  we  hope  to  get 

the  exact  information  we  require.     Let  us  turn  to  Form  C.     We 

have  tried  to  frame  the  questions  so  as  to  extract  such  information 

as   anyone  wanting  assistance  would   require    to    have,    so  that 

they  could  form  an  opinion  about   the  qualifications  of   anyone 

desiring   to   find   such    an    opening.      Suppose   a   missionary  in 

India  is  looking  for  help — and  many  are  seeking  aid — we  wish 

to  have  the  information  they  will  require.     In  this  department 

we  desire  to  collect  and  register,  for  easy  reference,  the  names 

and  qualifications  of  all  men  and  women  who  are  willing  to  devote 

themselves  to  missionary  work  abroad.      Those   wishing   to   be 

so  used  and  registered,  that  the  office  may  assist  them  in  finding 

the   opening  desired,   will  please  to   answer  very  carefully  and 

prayerfully  the  following  questions,  which  have  been  purposely 

made  somewhat  searching,  as  it  is  important  for  all  concerned  that 

not  only  should  it  be  known  that  they  are  willing  to  be  used,  but 

how  far  they  are  willing  to  go,  how  they  are  willing  to  be  used, 

and  what  qualifications  they  may  have  to  offer.     Then  we  add, 

that  the  mere  fact  of  a  name  being  registered  is  no  guarantee 

as  to  character.     The  questions  are  : 

"  1.  Name  and  address.     2.  Age  and  birthplace.     3.  Whether  Necessary 

°  L  questions. 

married  or  single.  If  married,  how  many  children,  and  age  of 
youngest?  4.  Do  you  enjoy  good  health*?  5.  Have  you  ever 
suffered  from  any  serious  illness  or  accident1?  6.  Is  there  any  . 
hereditary  disease  in  your  family?  7.  Are  your  parents  living? 
8.  Are  those  in  authority  over  you — parents,  guardians,  &c, 
if  any  such  there  be — willing  that  you  should  take  such  a  step  as 
you  propose  ?  9.  What  is  or  has  been  your  trade,  profession, 
or  occupation?  10.  What  measure  of  success  have  you  achieved 
in  your  previous  calling?  11.  Where  were  you  educated?  12. 
What  languages  do  you  speak?  13.  For  what  class  of  work  do 
you  consider  yourself  best  fitted?  14.  Do  you  propose  to  take 
up  the  work  permanently,  or  for  what  period  ?  1 5.  How  much  of 
your  time  do  you  propose  to  devote  to  it  ?  1 6.  Do  you  expect  to 
be  supported?  If  so,  to  what  extent?  17.  Do  you  stipulate 
to  go  to  any  particular  part  of  the  world?  18.  Is  your  preference 
founded  on  personal  considerations,  or  otherwise?     19.  In  what 


21 G  Missionary  Intelligence  and  Registration. 

ii.  w.  fry.  work  for  the  Lord  have  you  already  been  engaged1?"  These  are  all 
questions  which  will  be  useful  to  people  seeking  helpers.  They 
will  want  to  know  all  these  things.  "  20.  Have  your  efforts  been 
sealed  by  the  conversion  of  souls'?"  This  is  an  important  matter, 
because  it  is  no  good  to  send  out  people  who  have  not  had  some 
sort  of  training  in  this  country,  or  whose  training  has  not  resulted 
in  visible  fruit.  "21.  Have  you  been  used  in  the  strengthening  of 
the  Lord's  people1?  22.  To  what  denomination  do  you  or  did  you 
belong?  23.  Do  you  stipulate  that  your  future  work  should  be  in  con- 
nection with  that  denomination  1  24.  When  where  you  converted  1" 
I  heard  of  a  case  the  other  day  showing  the  importance  of  this 
question.  A  man  wanted  to  go  out  for  a  missionary  society,  but 
when  people  talked  of  conversion,  he  asked  what  new  doctrine  it 
was.  "  25.  Do  you  recognize  the  distinction  between  the  leading 
of  God's  Spirit,  and  sentiment,  romance,  inclination,  wilfulness  1 

26.  Are  you  sure  that  you  are  acting  under  the  leading  of  God's 
Holy  Spirit  in  thus  publicly  offering   yourself   for   His   work? 

27.  Are  you  determined  to  seek  first  the  kingdom  of  God  where- 
ever  you  may  go1?  28.  Are  you  willing,  in  temporal  things,  if 
necessary,  to  endure  hardness  and  suffer  loss?  29.  Are  you 
willing  to  work  with  your  hands,  or  in  any  other  way,  to  make  a 
living,  provided  only  you  may  have  the  privilege  of  systematically 
working  for  the  conversion  of  souls  to  God  1  30.  Do  you  profess 
to  be  wholly  '  set  apart '  for  God's  service  wherever  He  may  send 
you?"  We  want  spiritual  missionaries,  men  wholly  consecrated. 
Of  course,  anybody  can  answer  questions,  but  any  society  wanting 
help  would  also  apply  to  the  references  given. 

Notsenti-  Personally  I  have  visited  most  of  the  countries  where  mission 
romance.  work  is  being  carried  on.  It  is  not  necessarily  a  hardship  to  go 
out  to  the  mission-field.  Some  parts  are  doubtless  very  trying, 
but  by  no  means  all.  The  principal  hardship  is  for  those  who  go 
out  with  sentiments  of  romance — that  soon  evaporates.  It  is 
not  romance,  but  real  hard  work  for  Christ  that  is  wanted.  It 
would  be  an  excellent  thing  to  send  workers  to  the  East  End  of 
London  for  a  time  before  they  go  abroad.  That  would  knock 
romance  out  of  them,  and  lit  them  fur  real  work. 

Mr.  Meter.       Rev.    F.     B.    Meyer    then    said:    J    am    sine    we    owe    a 

deal  to  those  who  have  allowed  us  this  opportunity  of  holding 
what  must  he  called  our  inaugural  meeting  under  this  roof.  I 
cannot  but  now  hope  that  this  is  one  of  the  thoughts  of  God, 


Explanation  of  the  Plan.  217 

which   He   has  graciously  permitted  us  thus  far  to   carry  into  Mr.  Meyer. 

execution,    because   the   project   has   already    survived   such    an 

immense  amount  of  adverse  criticism.     If  a  project  is  to  live,  I 

say,  let  it  be  criticised ;  and  if  after  passing  through  this  scathing  ^f^j^ 

fire  of  criticism  it  can  still  justify  its  existence,  there  is  some 

hope  that  it  will  serve  a  good   purpose    in   the  world.     Well, 

this  scheme  has  passed  through  such  a  fire,  and  it  now  appears 

before  you  in  its  amended  form.     Mr.  Fry  has  told  you  fully  of 

the  details,  so  that  I  need  not  detain  you  long;  but  I  wish  to 

say  emphatically  that  there   is  nothing  antagonistic  to  existing 

missionary  societies :  we  wish  to  supplement  the  work,  and  bring 

workers  and  work  together,    and  help  those  anxious  to  labour 

in  the  mission-field  to  find  a  suitable  sphere  of  Christian  work. 

One  cannot  but  believe  that  we  are  on  the  eve  of   a  great  A.  &reat. 

°  dispersion. 

dispersion  of  Christian  people.  God's  history  repeats  itself,  and 
as  the  close  of  the  dispensation  which  witnessed  the  death  of  our 
Lord  and  Pentecost  ended,  ere  Jerusalem  fell,  in  the  great  dis- 
persion of  Christian  people  throughout  the  world,  so  we  cannot 
but  believe  that  this  present  dispensation,  which  is  to  end  we 
hope  shortly  in  the  return  of  our  Lord,  will  soon  see  a  very  great 
dispersion  of  Christian  people  from  England.  That  may  be 
caused  by  depression  of  trade,  or  by  some  unexpected  sorrows 
which  may  fall  upon  the  church  at  home ;  but  I  would  prefer 
that  it  should  come  from  the  love,  the  volcanic  love,  burning  in 
our  hearts,  and  driving  us  forth.  We  cannot  but  think  that  if 
the  early  disciples  had  obeyed  the  Master's  command  to  go  forth 
into  all  the  world  and  preach  the  gospel,  it  would  not  have  been 
necessary  to  drive  them  forth  by  the  persecution  that  arose  about 
Stephen. 

May  it  not  be  that  this  Conference,  this  great  arousing  of  A  fresh  call, 
earnest  spiritual  life,  for  which  we  are  so  thankful,  is  but  the 
heralding  of  that  time  when  the  churches  of  England  will  pour 
forth  missionaries  to  an  extent  which  will  utterly  overtax,  over- 
strain, and  break  down  all  existing  machinery  1  If  so,  we  want  to 
prepare  our  lines  beforehand,  and  have  the  information  at  our 
finger  ends,  getting  all  the  knowledge  we  can  of  spheres  of 
service.  Would  it  not  have  been  a  great  help  in  Jerusalem  if, 
when  these  thousands  had  suddenly  to  start  forth,  there  had  been 
a  registry  office  in  one  of  the  streets  of  Jerusalem  which  could 
tell  them  where  to  go,  and  in  what  spheres  of  work  they  might 
be   of   the   greatest   help.      Well,   we  want  to   do    something  of 


218  Missionary  Intelligence  and  Registration. 


Self- 
supporting 


Meyer,  that  sort.  Dear  Mr.  Radcliffe's  work  first  gave  me  this  idea. 
I  found  him  going  all  through  England  arousing  the  people.  He 
came  to  my  own  place  at  Leicester,  and  when  these  meetings  were 
over  we  had  about  twenty  people  offering  to  go  out  and  labour  in 
the  mission-field.  Many  were  ready  to  go  and  work  as  engine- 
missionaries  fitters,  and  in  other  ways  to  earn  their  own  livelihood  while 
labouring  for  Christ  abroad ;  but  I  did  not  know  what  part  they 
could  go  to.  I  said  it  is  not  fair  to  rouse  people  like  this  without 
telling  them  where  to  go ;  so  I  wrote  that  letter  which  my  friend 
Mr.  Morgan  put  in  The  Christian.  Well,  people  are  ready  to  go. 
We  shall  find  Christian  men,  mechanics,  and  all  sorts  of  people 
coming  forward  ready  to  go  and  maintain  themselves  by  their  own 
labour,  and  we  want  to  find  spheres  for  such — we  want  to  be 
en  rapport  with  all  who  wish  to  use  their  time  and  opportunities 
for  the  Master.  Some  may  say,  "  We  have  a  year  to  spare,  and 
we  want  to  spend  it  as  missionaries,"  and  we  wish  to  be  able  to 
point  out  a  place  where  they  might  be  useful. 

It  is  a  great  comfort  to  have  such  a  number  gathered  in  this 
room  to-day  interested  hi  this  matter.  Let  us  pray  that  He  may 
use  this  for  His  glory. 


Mr. 
Radcliffe. 


Early 
disciples. 


Primitive 
persecutions 


Mr.  Reginald  Radcliffe  said :  It  may  be  well  to  repeat  what 
I  have  said  so  often  to  some  of  you,  that  the  gospel  in  the  first 
century  seemed  to  be  spread  far  more  by  men  and  women  making 
their  own  living  than  by  the  preaching  of  the  apostles,  or  those 
regularly  set  apart  for  the  work.  We  have  proof  of  that  in 
one  passage  in  Acts  xi.  We  know  that  there  were  only  twelve 
apostles,  and  they  were  regularly  set  apart  no  doubt;  but  we 
know  also  that  at  least  10,000  were  set  agoing  in  the  work  as 
refugees  working  for  their  own  living,  and  the  gospel  spread 
mightily  by  that  10,000.  Well,  in  that  verse  in  Acts  xi.  we 
read,  "And  the  hand  of  the  Lord  was  with  them:  and  a  gnat 
number  believed,  and  turned  unto  the  Lord."  This  is  the  result 
of  only  one  of  the  persecutions.  There  were  nine  or  ten  after- 
wards by  the  Roman  Emperors ;  and  these  persecutions,  like 
Stephen's,  turned  into  blessings  to  others'.  By  them  the  word  of 
God  was  mightily  spread  aim ';ul. 

Now  England  is  richer  than  other  nations,  and  we  have  a 
higher  style  of  living.  We  spend  money  on  houses,  and  awfully, 
frightfully  I  might  say,  we  spend  money  on  church  architecture; 
spend  money  on  churches  and  chapels  that  ought  to  be  spent  on 


Explanation  of  the  Plan.  219 

missionaries.     In  my  OAvn  native  town  they  are  spending  half  a  Mr. 

-it  i  *  i-  i  f  n  Radcliffe. 

million  on  one  place  of  worship ;  enough  to  send  men  all  over 
India  and  China. 

Well,  we  are  being  scattered,  and  will  perhaps  be  scattered 
more ;  and  these  scattered  ones  assuredly  should  imitate  the 
scattering  of  the  10,000  from  Jerusalem.  The  early  Christians 
were  not  a  curse  but  a  blessing  wherever  they  went.  But  how 
many  of  us  Scotchmen  and  Englishmen  have  been  curses,  have 
been  foes  to  Christianity  in  every  land  whither  they  have  gone ! 
And  the  natives  know  this.  They  are  sharp  enough  to  notice 
these  men,  and  say  they  are  samples.  Christianity  should  be 
bred  in  the  bone  in  England  from  generation  to  generation,  and 
these  are  samples. 

Well,  the  word  of  our  dear  brother,  Mr.  Fry,  should  be  in 
every  way  a  help  and  support  to  missionary  societies  and  not  a 
hindrance.  As  to  details  I  am  the  last  man  in  the  room  for  that. 
It  is  not  my  gift;  I  have  no  talent  in  that  way.  But  this  the 
Lord  has  shown  me  very  clearly,  in  spite  of  what  my  dear 
brother,  Mr.  Meyer,  said  about  my  coming  to  his  church  and 
stirring  up  his  people ;  and  when  they  were  ready  to  go,  I  did  not 
point  out  any  way  for  them.  This  I  know  the  Lord  bids  me  say, 
"Thou  must  go."  These  10,000  had  to  go  without  any  special 
preparation  or  any  society  to  arrange  the  lines  on  which  they  should 
work.  Have  not  Scotchmen,  at  least  for  the  last  hundred  years — 
if  not  Englishmen — been  able  to  find  for  themselves  1  They  have 
gone  and  lived  for  twenty  years  in  a  foreign  land,  and  brought 
back  enough  to  buy  an  estate  in  Scotland.  And  I  suppose 
the  backbone  is  not  taken  out  of  a  Scotchman  or  an  English- 
man who  becomes  a  Christian.  They  could  assuredly  go  without 
the  assistance  of  Mr.  Fry's  papers,  but  I  certainly  think  we  might 
do  much  better  with  the  aid  of  such  an  organization  as  Mr.  Fry 
and  Mr.  Meyer  suggest.  A  very  practical  hint  has  been  written 
to  me  by  a  dear  missionary  from  China  you  all  know,  and  perhaps 
Mr.  Judd  would  put  it  before  us  himself. 

Mr.  C.  H.  Judd  said :  In  China  there  are  godly  men  Avho  Mr.  judd. 
preach  the  gospel  of  Christ  while  working  for  their  living.  I 
know  of  one  man  engaged  in  a  bank  out  there  who  hired  a 
room  at  his  own  expense,  and  had  many  fruits  of  his  labour, 
more  than  many  of  the  missionaries.  There  would  be  no  difficulty 
in  educated  men  going  out  as  bank  clerks.     There  are  the  Chinese 


220  Missionary  Intelligence  and  Registration. 

Mr.  judd.  Customs,  which  also  employ  several  hundred  Europeans  at  different 
ports.  In  the  Imperial  Customs  there  are  three  classes  of  indoor 
and  outdoor  clerks.  The  outdoor  duties  are  well  paid  for,  provided 
the  clerks  are  steady  men,  and  they  have  plenty  of  opportunities 
for  learning  the  language.  The  indoor  clerks  have  to  pass  an 
examination,  and  they  get  very  large  salaries,  and  have  short 
hours,  which  leave  ample  time  for  studying  the  language  and 
preaching  the  gospel.  I  knew  one  dear  man  in  the  outdoor  Customs 
— Mr.  Whiteley — who  is  now  in  heaven.  That  man,  in  Tientsin, 
got  several  hundreds  of  sailors  to  become  teetotalers,  and  led 
many  to  Christ.  He  was  removed  to  Ningpo,  where  he  could  not 
speak  the  dialect,  but  there  he  helped  to  get  the  people  hi  to  the 
preaching.  Dear  Mr.  Tweedie,  when  I  was  living  at  Shanghai, 
came  to  lodge  in  our  house,  in  order  that  he  might  have  a 
little  help  in  the  language.  At  that  time  he  had  unusual  and 
extra  work  during  business  hours,  but  he  got  up  early  in  the 
morning  to  learn  the  language.  In  a  short  time  he  was  able 
to  speak  freely  the  Mngpo  dialect,  which  is  much  used  in 
Shanghai.  He  opened  a  chapel  there,  and  it  was  daily  crowded. 
For  shipping  clerks  there  are  openings,  and  in  various  ways.  Let 
a  man  learn  to  preach  in  the  language,  and  God  will  add  His 
blessing. 

-)'''•  Eev.  J.  Wilkinson  said  that  some  years  ago  Mr.  Pennefather  had 

Wilkinson.  j  ° 

thought  of  such  an  organization,  and  asked  him  to  take  charge  of 
it ;  but  he  could  not  leave  his  life-work  among  the  Jews,  though  he 
fully  sympathised  with  the  movement.  He  had  many  applying  to 
him,  seeking  work  for  Christ;  but  could  not  direct  them  to  any 
opening.  It  would  be  an  excellent  thing  to  be  able  to  refer  them 
to  such  an  office  as  was  proposed,  lie  considered  home  work 
as  well  as  foreign  should  be  included.  There  are  -lews  in  every 
land,  and  in  every  town  and  city,  and  Christians  should  look  after 
their  own  dews  in  the  places  where  they  live,  and  not  leave  it  to 
societies  or  special  missionaries. 

Mr.  Morgan  Mr.  R.  C.  Morgan  thought  the  proposed  registration  office  a 
very  good  idea.    Ee  suggested  tha  hould  commence  quietly, 

and  go  on  gradually — not  seeking  to  be  to  '11  at  once,  or  to 

have  too  many  names  on  their  paper  at,  first.  A  new  state  of 
things  is  arising,  and  voluntary  work  is  coming  to  the  front  ; 
therefore  such  an  organization  appears  to  be  needful. 


Explanation  of  the  Plan.  221 

Mr.  E.  Paton  had  spent  years  of  his  life  among  the  heathen,  Mr.  paton. 
and  was  sure,  if  God  wanted  young  men  to  go  and  work  amongst 
them,  He  would  thrust  these  young  men  forth ;  they  could  not  stop 
at  home — necessity  would  be  laid  upon  them.  Perhaps  this  was 
not  the  occasion  to  discuss  the  difficulties,  but  he  must  say  he 
thought  the  whole  question  was  surrounded  with  difficulties.  He 
thoroughly  agreed  with  Mr.  Radcliffe  that  far  too  much  was  spent 
on  churches  at  home — money  that  was  wanted  to  support  labourers 
in  missions.  In  sending  out  young  men  care  should  be  taken  that 
they  had  sufficient  to  live  on ;  the  Church  had  no  right  to  send 
out  anyone  to  starve. 

Dr.  Young  said,  that  after  fifteen  years'  experience  in  Italy  he  Dr.  young. 
could  say  that  the  great  want  there  was  of  men  and  women 
earning  their  own  livelihood,  and  yet  living  godly  lives,  and 
witnessing  for  the  Master;  such  men  have  far  more  influence 
than  ministers  or  workers  from  any  society.  He  thought  there 
were  thousands  of  openings,  especially  for  medical  men,  to  work 
for  their  living,  and  spread  the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  he 
wished  the  proposed  society  and  its  objects  every  success. 

Mr.  C.  Russell  Hurditch  was  rather  afraid  of  any  increase  in  Mr. 
the  number  of  organizations.  He  thought  something  should  be 
done  in  connection  with  an  established  work,  such  as  at  Mildmay, 
where  a  room  might  be  given,  and  some  brother  found  who  would 
devote  his  whole  time  to  the  collection  of  such  information 
as  was  indicated  by  Mr.  Fry.  Add  such  a  department  to 
Mildmay,  and  it  would  be  most  useful. 

Mr.   J.   E.    Mathieson   agreed   that  such  an   addition  would  Mr. 

Mathieson. 

be  most  useful,  and  they  would  rejoice  to  have  something  of  the 
kind ;  but  it  would  require  a  volunteer  to  give  his  whole  time, 
and  work  at  his  own  cost.  They  had  as  much  as  they  could 
possibly  manage,  but  they  would  try  to  find  a  room,  if  the  worker 
came  forward  and  offered  his  services. 

Rev.   J.   Fordyce   thought  it  was  certainly  undesirable,  as  a  Mr.  John 
rule,    to   multiply   organizations ;    but    he    thought   this   was    a 
missing  link,  as  there  is  at  present  no  centre  where  information 
can   be   obtained.     Many   labourers   are   required   in  India,   not 
merely  regular  agents,  but  supplementary  workers  of   the  kind 


222  Missionary  Intelligence  and  Registration. 

Mr.  John  spoken  of — men  and  women  earning  their  own  living.  He  was 
very  pleased  that  such  a  society  should  be  started  in  harmony 
with  all  other  societies,  and  not  antagonistic  to  any.  He  hoped 
it  would  he  carried  out  in  a  spirit  at  once  thoroughly  Protestant 
and  thoroughly  Catholic. 

Mr.  H.  de        Rev.  H.  De  St.  Dalmas  said  that  in  India  there  were  many 

St.  Dalmas.   -,....»,  . 

Christian  officers  serving  the  Lord  in  their  spare  time,  and  many 
others  working  in  that  land  might  do  the  same.  There  was  the 
difficulty  of  learning  the  language.  It  took  a  great  deal  of  time, 
ami  a  man  engaged  all  day  could  hardly  acquire  it  sufficiently  to 
speak  fluently  and  freely.  He  sympathized  with  much  Mr.  Paton 
had  said  regarding  those  who  go  forth.  Let  as  many  as  possible 
go  who  can  support  themselves ;  and  let  as  many  as  possible 
be  sent  by  the  Church,  to  be  maintained  by  those  at  home.  These 
two  classes  could  work  side  by  side,  and  all  who  could  go  in  any 
way  are  required. 

The  doxology  was  then  sung,  and  the  meeting  was  closed  with 
the  benediction. 


THE   PRAISE   MEETING. 

Friday  Morning,  October  8th,  1886. 


At  7  a.m.  on  Friday  morning  a  considerable  number  of  friends  F,raif.e 

J  °  Meeting. 

assembled  in  No.  6  room  to  unite  in  praise  and  thanksgiving  for 
blessings  enjoyed  during  the  Conference. 
After  the  singing  of  Hymn  No.  26 — 

' '  We  give  Thee  but  Thine  own, 
"Whate'er  the  gift  may  be," 

Mr.  James  E.  Mathieson  engaged  in  prayer. 

Mr.  Reginald  Radcliffe  then  said :  Let  me  read  one  little  verse  Mr-  R- 

Radcliffe. 

in  St.  Matthew's  gospel  (xiv.  14):  "And  Jesus  went  forth,  and 
saw  a  great  multitude,  and  was  moved  with  compassion  toward 
them,  and  He  healed  their  sick.  And  when  it  was  evening,  His 
disciples  came  to  Him,  saying,  This  is  a  desert  place,  and  the 
time  is  now  past ;  send  the  multitude  away,  that  they  may  go 
into  the  villages,  and  buy  themselves  victuals.  But  Jesus  said 
unto  them,  They  need  not  depart ;  give  ye  them  to  eat." 

These  verses  have  again  and  again  been  food  to  my  own  soul.  An  import- 

°  °  J  ant  lesson. 

I  believe  the  Lord  meant  to  teach  the  disciples  and  to  teach  us  to 
trust  Him.  The  Lord  sees  the  multitudes  perishing  for  lack  of  the 
bread  of  life,  and  He  says  to  us,  "Give  ye  them  to  eat."  But  we 
have  nothing  save  these  bits  of  fish  and  bread.  What  can  we  do  1 
Give  them  to  eat,  and  trust  Him  for  the  rest.  He  will  do  it. 
Let  us  trust  Him  for  it.  We  want  the  mighty  power  of  the  in-  ^ntedWer 
dwelling  Spirit.  We  want  to  shake  off  this  paralysis  from  which 
we  have  been  suffering,  and  arise  to  do  His  bidding.  Then  shall 
the  blessing  come  down  in  streams.  I  believe  we  want  a  new 
departure,  in  which  every  man  and  woman  shall  feel  it  laid  upon 
them  individually  to  publish  the  glad  tidings.  Then  shall  blessing 
flow  like  a  river,  and  God,  even  our  God,  shall  bless  us ;  for  our 
Father  is  pleased  when  He  sees  His  children  doing  His  will. 


224  The  Praise  Meeting. 

Mr.  j.  e.  Mr.  James  E.  Mathieson  said  :    We  are  met  for  praise  and 

Matiiieson.  r 

thanksgiving,  and  I  should  like  to  say  I  feel  the  deepest  cause  for 
nksgiving  concerning  this  Conference.  We  have  had  in  a 
very  marked  way  the  presence  of  the  Holy  Ghost  with  us.  You 
have  seen  how  remarkably  our  brethren  have  been  led  by  tbe 
God's  will  Spirit  of  God.  If  you  recall  how,  in  the  opening  address  by 
Mr.  Wilkinson,  God's  will  and  purpose  were  traced  from  Scriptim  . 
and  how  the  subsequent  speakers  made  their  appeals  to  the  Word 
of  God,  you  will  I  think  see  a  blessed  augury  for  the  future  of 
mission  work,  not  according  to  man's  idea,  but  according  to  God's 
will.  I  thank  God  for  the  high  spiritual  tone  of  the  addresses 
throughout,  and  for  the  remarkable  way  in  which  the  addresses 
litted  into  one  another,  and  also  that  it  has  not  been  a  glorifical  ion 
of  man's  work,  but  rather  an  enquiry  as  to  what  the  Lord  would 
have  us  do,  and  how  we  are  to  do  it. 

Praise  and         a  fcw  WOrds  followed  by  Messrs.    B.  Uhoomhall  and  John 
prayer.  _  J 

Wilkinson,  and  the  remainder  of  the  time  was  spent  in  prayer 

and  praise,  many  friends  leading  briefly  the  devotion.     The  tone 

of   the   whole  proceedings  was  one  of   devout  thankfulness  for 

blessing  bestowed  in  rich  abundance. 


APPENDICES. 


[A] 

A   CENTUEY   OF  PEOTESTANT   MISSIONS. 

In  a  pamphlet  bearing  this  title,  the  Eev.  James  Johnston  brings 
before  thoughtful  Christians  some  facts  regarding  the  relative  progress 
of  Christian  Missions,  and  the  increase  of  the  population  of  heathen- 
dom, whether  by  birth-rate  or  proselytism,  which  ought  to  be  enough 
to  produce  the  gravest  reflection,  and  to  suggest  the  question  whether 
we  are  using  at  all  adequate  means  for  the  accomplishment  of  the 
great  work  of  the  Church,  which  is  nothing  less  than  to  "  preach  the 
gospel  to  every  creature." 

Mr.  Johnston  thus  introduces  his  subject : 

"  The  time  has  arrived  for  the  Church  of  Christ  to  make  a  careful 
and  earnest  inquiry  into  the  past  history  and  present  condition  of 
Christian  Missions  to  the  heathen  and  Mohammedan  world.  Eomance 
and  sentiment  have  lost  much  of  their  force  in  appeals  for  missionary 
enterprise,  and  there  is  danger  of  falling  into  a  lethargic  spirit  of 
routine  in  the  methods  of  Mission  work,  and  still  more  in  the  amount 
of  the  contributions  to  Mission  objects. 

"  Many  circumstances  point  to  the  present  as  a  suitable  time  for  a 
calm  review  and  a  new  departure.  Even  the  disquiet  in  the  political 
atmosphere,  and  distress  in  commercial  and  agricultural  affairs,  only 
remind  us  that  the  birth  of  modern  Missions  was  amid  the  convulsions 
of  a  Continental  war,  and  a  state  bordering  on  famine  at  home. 
Prosperity  is  apt  to  blind  the  heart  to  spiritual  claims,  and  the  sums 
given  for  Mission  work  are  so  trifling,  compared  with  the  general 
income  and  expenditure,  that  to  double  or  treble  the  present  rate 
of  contribution  would  be  no  effort  to  willing  hearts ;  and  the.  area  of 
contributors  might  be  much  enlarged." 

I.  "That  Protestant  Missions  have  in  a  Hundred  Years 
accomplished  as  much  as  could  reasonably  be  expected  from 
the  Methods  Employed,  and  the  means  placed  at  the  disposal 
of  the  Societies  conducting  them." 

Under  this  head,  with  regard  to  "the  means  employed,"  he  says : 

"The  following  are,  as  nearly  as  can  be  ascertained,  the  number  of 
agents  employed  at  the  end  of  the  century  for  the  work  of 
evangelizing  the  world  :  3000  ordained  missionaries,  730  laymen,  and 
2500  women  have  been  sent  out  by  the  Protestant  Churches  of  Britain, 
America,  and  the  continent  of  Europe,  into  all  parts  of  the  heathen 
and  Mohammedan  world.  These  6230  messengers  of  the  Churches 
are  now  preaching  the  everlasting  gospel  in  twenty  times  as  many 
languages  as  were  spoken  on  the  day  of  Pentecost. 

"  If  the  870  millions  of  heathen  and  170  millions  of  Mohammedans 
were  equally  apportioned  to  these  6230  agents,  it  would  give  167,000 


22G  Appendices. 

souls  to  each  man  and  woman  sent  out ;  but,  as  they  are  very  unequally 
distributed,  some  may  be  found  grouped  with  less  than  a  thousand  to 
each,  while  others  are  scattered  as  one  in  the  midst  of  millions.  As 
many  of  the  women  are  the  wives  of  missionaries,  there  is  not  one 
female  missionary  to  a  quarter  of  a  million  of  women,  in  those  countries 
in  which  they  alone  can  carry  the  gospel  to  the  secluded  victims,  chiefly 
by  the  tedious  process  of  visits  to  their  homes.  The  3730  men  have 
often  to  labour  singly  among  ten  or  twenty  millions  of  heathen — the 
most  unproductive  form  of  Mission  work.  Concentration,  within 
certain  limits,  is  generally  the  most  effective  form  of  labour. 

"Twenty-seven  thousand  native  converts  are  now  employed  and 
paid  as  evangelists  to  their  own  countrymen,  and  2500  are  ordained 
pastors  of  native  congregations.  Many  voluntary  workers  give  them- 
selves willingly  to  evangelistic  work,  and  many  thousands  of  teachers 
and  professors  are  employed  in  the  more  secular  but  important  work 
of  teaching  the  young  in  schools  and  colleges. 

"  These  are  the  agencies  at  work  at  the  end  of  a  hundred  years 
of  missionary  effort  by  all  the  Churches  of  Protestant  Christendom. 

t£  */?  »/r  -/?  'i*  '& 

"Results. — 870,000  adults,  converts  from  among  the  heathen, 
are  now  in  full  communion  with  the  Church  of  Christ,  as  the  result 
of  Protestant  missionary  labour.  These,  with  their  families  and 
dependents,  form  Christian  communities  scattered  over  almost  every 
portion  of  the  habitable  globe ;  numbering  in  the  aggregate  at  least 
2,800,000  souls.  Two  thousand  live  hundred  of  these  converts  are 
ordained  ministers  of  the  gospel,  placed  over  Christian  congregations ; 
27,000  of  them  are  employed  as  evangelists  to  their  heathen  fellow- 
countrymen,  and  a  large  number  are  acting  as  voluntary  agents, 
in  preaching,  teaching  in  Sunday-schools,  and  engaged  in  other  works 
of  Christian  usefulness.  The  children  of  these  converts,  with  a 
large  number  of  the  children  of  the  heathen,  are  receiving  secular  and 
religious  instruction  in  day-schools. 

"These  are  facts  which  can  bo  tabulated,  but  there  are  others 
of  vast  importance  which  cannot  be  so  expressed — the  wider  influence 
of  Christian  teaching  and  Christian  life  of  missionaries  and  their 
converts;  the  elevation  of  the  lowest  races  to  the  comforts  and 
advantages  of  civilization;  the  establishment  of  peaceful  government 
among  savage  and  cannibal  tribes,  whose  lives  were  misery,  and  whose 
work  was  war ;  the  spread  of  commerce ;  the  promotion  of  industry ; 
the  creation  of  written  language,  with  the  gift  of  the  word  of  God  to 
more  than  200  tribes  and  nations;  the  abolition  of  cruel  rites 
and  religious  crimes  amongst  those  who  still  remain  heathen,  and  the 
diffusion  of  new  aspirations  and  hopes  amongst  thousands  who  are 
still  strangers  to  the  higher  blessings  of  tho  spiritual  life  which 
the  missionary  seeks  to  import. 

"Still  the  fact  remains,  that  after  all  a  number  less  ///m/  three 
millions  is  all  that  the  Christian  Church  of  this  age  has  gathered 
from  among  the  ten  ////m/red  millions  a/  heathen  and  Mohammedans, 
who  are  now  living  in  ignorance  of  the  great  salvation  which  God  sent 
His  Son  into  the  world  to  procure,  and  to  offer  freely  to  all  men. 

"It  is  also  well  for  Christian  men  to  note  the  tart,  that,  with  few 
exceptions,  these  converts  belong  tu  uneducated  or  barbarous  tribes, 


A  Century  of  Protestant  Missions.  227 

who  Lave  not  much  influence  over  the  higher  races ;  and  ahout  a  fifth 
part  of  them  helong  to  races  that  are  dying  out  before  the  advance  of 
modern  civilization,  with  its  too  frequent  attendants  of  vice  and 
disease — a  fact  which  does  not  lessen  the  value  of  the  work  accom- 
plished, hut  which  materially  affects  the  future  of  the  kingdom 
of  God.  The  early  converts  of  Christianity,  at  the  commencement  of 
the  Christian  era,  were  generally  from  among  the  poor,  but  they 
were,  even  when  slaves,  of  a  vigorous  and  progressive  race." 

II.    Mr.  Johnston  goes  on  to  make  this  important  statement : 

"  That  the  number  of  Heathen  and  Mohammedans,  now  in  the 
world,  is  vastly  greater  than  when  protestant  missions  began  a 
Hundred  Years  ago." 

It  is  this  fact  that  we  especially  want  to  impress  on  our  readers. 
We  therefore  quote  the  whole  of  this  paragraph. 

"The  heathen  and  Mohammedan  population  of  the  world  is  more 
by  200  millions  than  it  was  a  hundred  years  ago ;  while  the  converts 
and  their  families  do  not  amount  to  3  millions. 

"  The  numbers  now  generally  accepted  as  accurate,  and  quoted 
by  the  Church  Missionary  and  other  societies,  are  173  millions  of 
Mohammedans,  and  874  millions  of  heathen,  1047  millions  in  all. 
When  Carey  wrote  his  famous  Enquiry,  in  1786,  he  estimated  the 
Mohammedans  at  130  and  the  Pagans  at  420  millions,  equal  to  550 
millions.  This  would  give  an  increase  of  493  millions.  But  as 
we  have  come  to  the  knowledge  of  vast  populations  in  Africa  and  the 
East,  which  could  not  be  even  guessed  at  in  Carey's  time,  we  must 
largely  increase  his  estimate,  but  I  am  not  prepared  at  present  to  say 
to  what  extent.  Of  this,  however,  I  am  sure,  that  the  actual 
increase  during  the  hundred  years  is  much  more  than  the  200 
millions  at  which  1  have  put  it  down. 

"  We  rejoice  in  the  work  accomplished  by  modern  Christian  Missions, 
while  we  mourn  over  the  sad  fact  that  the  increase  of  the  heathen  is 
numerically  more  titan  seventy  times  greater  than  that  of  the  converts 
during  the  century  of  Missions.  It  is  true  that  converts  multiply  in 
a  much  more  rapid  ratio ;  but  the  number  to  be  multiplied  is  so  small 
in  the  one  case,  and  so  large  in  the  other,  that  the  prospect  of  the 
former  overtaking  the  latter  in  any  measurable  period  seems  hopeless 
at  the  present  rate.  With  one  or  two  slight  exceptions,  the  Christian 
is  not  perceptibly  overtaking  the  heathen  population,  except  among 
nations  that  are  numerically  stagnant,  or  races  that  are  dying  out. 

"Those  who  calculate  on  Christian  Missions  converting  the  world 
at  the  present  rate  of  increase  strangely  overlook  the  annual  increase 
of  the  heathen  by  birth-rate.  The  increase  of  the  population  of  the 
world  during  this  last  century  is  altogether  unprecedented  in  the 
historic  period.  The  early  Christian  centuries  cannot  be  brought  into 
comparison  with  it.  The  population  of  Europe  under  the  decline  of 
the  Ponian  Empire,  and  after  its  overthrow,  must  have  been  almost 
stationary,  and  in  many  cases  retrograde.  If  it  had  increased  at  the 
rate  at  which  Europe  has  increased  during  this  nineteenth  century, 
its  inhabitants  to-day  would  have  been  thousands  of  times  the 
population  of  the  whole  world. 

"  This  fact  made  it  much  easier  for  the  early  Christian  Church 

Q  2 


228  Appendices. 

to  overtake  the  population  of  the  Roman  Empire,  than  it  is  for 
Missions  to  overtake  the  populations  of  the  world  in  the  present  day. 
England  doubles  its  inhabitants  in  about  fifty  years,  and  Scotland, 
"with  its  greater  rate  of  emigration,  in  a  few  more  years.  The  Saxon 
races  on  the  Continent  double  in  about  seventy  years ;  and  although 
the  Latin  races  increase  more  slowly,  the  Russians  more  than  make 
up  by  a  greater  ratio;  while  America,  the  great  outlet  for  the 
redundant  population  of  Europe,  doubles  its  population  in  twenty-five 
years.  The  computation  for  the  increase  in  India  is  one  per  cent,  per 
annum,  and  the  careful  census  of  1881,  compared  with  that  of  1871, 
shows  that  it  is  not  far  from  the  truth.  In  spite  of  specially  severe 
famines,  the  actual  increase  gives  fully  seven  per  cent,  in  the  ten 
years,  which  would  double  the  inhabitants  in  102  years. 

"Thoughtful  men  are  staggered  by  this  rapid  increase  of  populations 
in  view  of  the  limit  to  the  increase  of  food  supply.  Scarcity  is 
already  felt  in  India.  Millions  do  not  know  what  it  is  to  have  more 
than  one  meal  a  day,  and  millions  more  are  never  free  from  the 
feeling  of  hunger.  Mr.  Giffen,  in  his  presidential  lecture  at  the 
opening  of  the  session  of  the  Statistical  Society  in  1882,  called 
attention  to  the  fact  that  the  United  States  of  America  would  in 
twenty-five  years  be  fully  occupied  with  its  population  of  one  hundred 
millions,  and  'that  the  conditions  of  their  economic  growth  will 
be  fundamentally  altered.'  In  view  of  the  present  rate  of  increase 
of  the  population,  we  may  say  that  the  economic  condition  of 
whole  world  will  be  fundamentally  changed  during  the  next  century, 
ami  long  before  it  has  run  its  course.  It  seems  as  if  the  old  command, 
'Increase  and  multiply  and  replenish  the  earth,'  were  soon  to  reach 
its  consummation,  preparatory  to  some  grand  climax  in  the  history 
our  race.  Prophecy  and  the  laws  of  population  are,  like  converging 
lines,  pointing  to  one  issue  in  the  near  future.  Never  had  those 
words  of  the  apostle  such  significance,  'This  I  say,  brethren, 
the  time  is  short.'  Theorists  talk  of  restraints  on  the  increase  of 
population.  That,  if  it  does  not  mean  the  application  of  the 
Darwinian  theory  to  the  human  family — the  destruction  of  the  w.eak 
by  the  strong — means  the  consumption  of  the  strong  by  the  weak. 
By  an  eternal  law  the  nation  that  ceases  to  grow  begins  to  decay. 
The  lean  and  ill-favoured  kine  will  eat  up  the  fat  and  well-favoured, 
as  in  the  days  of  Pharaoh.  Rut  this  question  of  natural  increase  is  too 
large  a  subject  for  a  tract.  It  is  enough  to  note  the  fact  and  its  bearing 
on  the  possibility  of  Christian  Missions,  with  their  three  'million*  of 
converts,  overtaking  //><■  increasing  one  thousand  million*  of  lieathen 
iiml  Mohammedans  in  the  world.  Another  sad  thought  oppresses  us 
when  we  think  of  the  slow  rate  of  the  increase  of  Missions.  Not 
only  has  the  heathen  ami  Mohammedan  population  increased  by  two 
hundred  millions,  while  the  three  millions  have  been  added  to  the 
Church — three  generations  of  men,  women,  and  children  have  passed 
into  eternity  during  that  century  of  Missions.  That  means  the  death 
of  more  than  two  thousand  million*,  without  tin'  consolations  of  our 
Christ ion  hope,  and  without  the  knowledge  of  the  love  of  God. 

"  How  long  shall  this  continue?  With  the  larger  population  now, 
in  little  more  than  thirty  years  the  whole  1000  millions  will  have 
passed  into  eternity,  at  tl  tillions  every  year. 


A  Century  of  Protestant  Missions.  229 

"Note. — It  would  be  rash  in  any  man  to  prophecy  as  to  the  future 
increase  of  the  population  of  the  world,  and  the  effects  of  that 
increase  ;  but  it  is  not  rash  to  say  that  if  there  be  not  some  radical 
economic  change,  and  that  soon,  society  will  have  a  terrible  problem 
to  solve  regarding  its  future  food  supply,  if  the  Almighty  Provider 
do  not  intervene.  The  grounds  of  apprehension  which  alarmed 
Malthus  and  others  at  the  beginning  of  this  century  were  staved 
olf,  not  removed,  by  the  amazing  increase  of  manufactures  and 
commerce,  leading  to  the  importation  of  food  to  an  extent  which 
no  man  could  have  foreseen.  Now  that  the  population  of  Europe 
has  been  more  than  doubled,  and  is  increasing  at  a  rate  which  will 
double  it  again  in  about  seventy  years,  it  is  impossible  to  judge 
of  the  effect  of  that  increase,  or  to  foresee  any  checks  which  are 
likely  to  arrest  it,  in  a  state  of  society  so  different  from  that  in  which 
moral  checks  could  be  imposed  by  law  or  religion.  Commerce  and 
manufactures  have  provided  the  means  for  the  importation  of  food, 
but  science  has  not  as  yet  discovered  the  means  of  doubling  the 
supply  in  geometrical  ratio  like  the  increase  of  population." 

III.    A  still  more  startling  fact  next  meets  us  : 

"  That  the  great  Heathen  and  Mohammedan  systems  op  religion 
are  not  only  increasing  their  adherents  by  the  ordinary  birth- 
rate, but  are  yearly  making  far  more  converts  than  our 
Christian  Missions. 

"  The  progress  of  Christian  Missions  has  hitherto  been  for  the  most 
part  among  races  which  had  no  formulated  system  of  religion  or  sacred 
books  ;  to  a  large  extent  among  unlettered  savages,  and  in  many  cases 
among  effete  races  of  the  South  Seas,  which  are  rapidly  dying  out. 
This  is  no  disparagement  of  Christian  Missions,  far  from  it.  It  is  a 
demonstration  of  its  Goddike  power  and  beneficence,  that  it  can  elevate, 
morally  and  spiritually,  races  of  men  whom  the  highest  form  of  mere 
civilization  is  powerless  to  save,  and  whom  it  sweeps  away  before  it 
with  the  besom  of  destruction.  It  is  Christdike  to  come  to  the  rescue 
of  perishing  nations,  as  our  Missions  have  come  to  the  aborigines  of 
America,  Australia,  and  to  the  islanders  of  the  Pacific  Ocean ;  even  if 
it  be  only  to  comfort  a  dying  population,  and  give  Christian  burial  to 
perishing  tribes.  But  it  is  a  matter  which  needs  to  be  taken  into 
account  in  looking  to  the  future  of  the  kingdom  of  Christ. 

"  It  is  full  time  that  the  Church  of  God  looked  this  fact  in  the 
face,  that  no  religion  which  had  been  formulated  into  a  system,  or  is 
possessed  of  sacred  boohs,  has  even  been  arrested  in  its  progress  by  our 
'modern  Missions.  Hinduism,  Buddhism,  and  Islam  not  only  stand 
their  ground,  they  are  yearly  making  proselytes  by  tens  of  thousands. 
For  one  convert  from  any  of  these  systems,  they  gain  thousands  from 
the  inferior  races  which  they  are  absorbing  into  their  systems. 

"  Mohammedanism  is  spreading  to  new  regions  in  Africa,  and  is 
fast  increasing  in  the  Indian  Archipelago,  especially  in  the  Dutch 
settlements ;  and  in  India  itself  it  is  constantly  gaining  over  numbers 
from  the  low  '  castes/  to  whom  the  social  advantage  of  association 
and  inter-marriage  with  a  superior  race  is  a  great  attraction.  By  the 
census  of  1881,  as  compared  with  that  for  1871,  it  appears  that,  taking 
only  the  area  covered  by  the  census  in  both  cases,  the  number  of 


230  Appendices. 

Mohammedans  had  increased  to  an  extent  that  cannot  he  accounted 
for  hy  the  normal  hirth-rate ;  and  it  is  known  that,  although  not  to  a 
large  extent,  conversions  are  yearly  being  made.  Besides,  we  know 
that  there  has  been  a  great  increase  of  proselytizing  zeal  of  late  years 
in  almost  all  parts  of  the  Mohammedan  world.  There  has  been 
a  great  revival  of  the  propaganda  both  in  Constantinople  and  Cairo. 
I  say  nothing  of  the  character  of  the  converts,  or  the  motives  which 
influence  them,  I  speak  only  of  the  fact. 

"  The  theory  that  Hinduism  is  a  hard  and  fast  system  of  religion 
and  worship  is  altogether  erroneous.  It  can  adapt  itself  to  the 
beliefs,  and  habits  of  any  of  the  aboriginal  tribes  of  India,  and 
is  constantly  absorbing  them.  In  the  census  returns  for  1881,  the 
enumerators  constantly  complain  of  the  difficulty  of  drawing  the  line 
where  Hinduism  ends,  and  the  nature  or  devil-worship  of  the 
aboriginal  races  begins.  Mr.  Kitts,  one  of  H.M.  Commissioners, 
says,  'The  vagueness  of  the  term  Hindu,  as  the  name  of  a  religion, 
is  apparent,  from  the  fact  that  all  the  Deputy-Commissioners  con- 
sidered that  it  could  rightly  be  extended  to  the  form  of  worship 
practised  by  the  Gonds  and  other  aboriginal  castes.'  (Census  for  1881, 
vol.  i.  p.  19.)  The  increase  of  Hindus  in  British  India  is  above 
that  of  the  birth-rate  by  an  amount  which  can  only  be  accounted  for 
by  accessions  from  the  aboriginal  races ;  a  process  which  has  been 
going  on  since  the  days  of  the  Aryan  invasion,  and  still  continues. 

"The  only  point  at  which  Hinduism  has  suffered  any  material 
loss  at  the  hands  of  Christian  Missions  is  in  Southern  India,  aiming 
the  Tamils  and  Telugus.  But  in  their  case  they  wrere  of  the  class 
who  had  been  only  partially  absorbed  into  the  Hindu  system.  They 
are  of  the  old  Dravidian  stock,  which  preceded  the  Aryan  in  the 
conquest  of  India,  and  were  conquered  in  their  turn  by  those  we  now 
call  Hindus;  and  by  them  were  gradually  but  partially  brought 
within  the  lower  castes  of  the  accommodating  system  of  their 
religion,  which  at  first  treated  them  as  outcasts.*  From  these 
vigorous  and  intelligent  races,  and  the  more  ignorant  aborigines, 
Christianity  has  made  the  largest  number  of  its  conquests  in  India. 
Hinduism  has  been  little  affected  except  by  educational  methods  and 
the  progress  of  science  and  commerce.  Almost  the  only  converts 
from  the  higher  castes  have  been  through  education,  and  these  have 
as  yet  been  very  few. 

"It  is,  to  a  more  limited  extent,  the  same  with  Buddhism.  It 
makes  its  way  among  the  tribes  of  the  northern  dependencies  of 
China,  while  it  follows  the  Chinese  race  in  its  migrations,  and  plants 
its  temples  on  the  Christian  soil  of  America  and  Australia.  It  has 
shown  less  resistance  to  Christianity  than  the  higher  castes  of 
Hinduism  and  the  followers  of  the  prophet,  but  the  converts  gained 
in  China,  Japan,  Burmah,  and  Ceylon  are  too  recent  and  limited  in 
number  to  make  any  impression  on  its  hundreds  of  millions.  They 
do  not  number  a  quarter  of  a  million  in  alL 

"  It  may  be  said  the  gains  of  Mohammedans  from  the  low-caste 

*  "That  some  of  the  largest  temples  in  India  are  found  among  these  rices  is  no 
proof  to  the  contrary.  These  are  rather  symbols  of  their  enslaved  condition 
than  proofs  of  the  thoroughness  of  their  conversion.  Brahmins,  though  long 
dominant,  are  oven  now  only  four  per  cent,  of  the  population. 


A  Century  of  Protestant  Missions.  231 

Hindus  and  natives  of  Africa,  the  accessions  of  Hinduism  from  the 
aborigines  of  India,  and  the  increase  of  Buddhism  in  the  north  of 
China,  are  only  changes  from  one  false  religion  to  another,  and  do 
not  increase  the  number  of  those  on  whom  the  missions  of  the 
Church  have  to  operate.  But  the  painful  feature  in  such  changes  is, 
that  converts  to  higher  systems  of  error,  instead  of  bringing  a  people 
nearer  to  Christian  truth,  tend  rather  to  alienate  them  the  more,  and 
to  make  their  conversion  more  difficult.  I  do  not  here  explain  the 
cause,  I  only  call  attention  to  the  fact. 

"  It  is  true  that  Christian  Missions  have  made  an  impression  on  all 
these  systems ;  many  agencies  have  combined  to  unsettle  the  beliefs 
of  Hindus  and  Mohammedans,  and  it  is  no  hyperbole  to  say  that 
these  systems  of  error  have  been  shaken.  But  it  depends  on  the 
future  of  the  Church's  efforts  whether  the  shaking  is  to  lead  to  an 
awakening  followed  by  a  new  lease  of  superstition  and  fanaticism,  or 
to  their  overthrow. 

"  The  shaking  may  not  move  the  foundations  of  these  systems,  but, 
like  the  agitation  of  some  chemical  compounds,  they  may  crystallize 
into  new  forms  of  error,  more  dangerous  and  deadly  than  the  old. 

"  Again  I  repeat,  it  is  full  time  for  the  Christian  Church  to  look 
these  facts  in  the  face,  and  lay  them  to  heart." 

IV.  Bespecting  Mr.  Johnston's  fourth  statement,  "  That  the 
Christian  Church  is  able,  in  Christ's  name,  to  conquer  all 
systems  op  error,  and  to  '  make  dlsciples  op  all  nations,'  "  it 
is  enough  to  quote  but  a  few  words  : 

"  Enough  has  been  done  by  Christian  Missions  to  show  that 
Christianity  is  adapted  to  all  conditions,  and  all  races  of  men. 
Already  we  have  seen  examples  of  the  conversion  of  all  classes  and 
conditions  of  the  human  family — from  the  highest  intelligence  of  the 
nations  of  India  and  China,  to  the  lowest  forms  of  degraded 
humanity  living  amid  the  eternal  ice  of  Lapland  and  the  burning 
plains  of  Africa.  Several  of  the  noblest  minds  among  the  Mo- 
hammedans and  Brahmans,  and  the  fiercest  races  of  cannibals,  have 
been  subdued  and  transformed  by  modern  Missions.  What  is  wanted 
is  not  a  new  gospel,  but  a  great  increase  of  wisdom  and  zeal,  and 
liberality  and  faith,  in  making  it  known  to  all  people.  More  of  the 
love  of  God,  and  of  the  Spirit  of  God  in  the  hearts  and  lives  of  His 
people,  would  regenerate  the  world. 

"  God  has,  in  His  providence,  given  the  work  of  carrying  the  gospel 
to  the  world  in  a  special  manner  to  the  Saxon,  and  more  especially  to 
the  Anglo-Saxon  race.  Not  only  is  the  great  spread  of  Protestant 
Christianity  due  to  the  natural  increase  of  that  most  prolific  family ; 
not  only  is  Great  Britain  doubling  its  population  every  fifty  years,  and 
America  in  twenty-five  years,  but  Missions  to  the  heathen  are  nearly 
all  supported  by  the  inhabitants  of  these  countries.  All  the  Churches 
on  the  continent  of  Europe  do  not  contribute  a  tenth  part  of  Mission 
expenditure. 

"  We  arrest  attention  on  the  fact,  that  the  Churches  in  Great 
Britain  have  never  as  yet  made  Foreign  Missions  their  proper 
work.  Missions  to  the  heathen  world  are  not  made  the  ivorh  of  the 
Church  ;  they  are  a  parergon,  we  had  almost  said  a  by-play,  or  a  May 


232  Appendices. 

holiday,  instead  of  being  the  Church  of  Christ's  first  work,  as  it  was 
her  Lord's  final  commission — a  work  demanding  the  highest  talent 
and  most  devoted  service." 

*****  # 

It  will  he  enough  if  we  lay  before  our  readers  but  one  of  the 
suggestions  made  for  the  future  regulation  of  missionary  enterprise  : 

"It  is  obvious  to  every  man  who  has  thought  on  the  subject,  that 
unity,  without  uniformity,  is  absolutely  necessary  to  any  great 
triumphs  of  the  kingdom  of  God  in  the  Missions  of  the  future. 
Unity  was  always  desirable,  now  it  is  a  necessity.  The  number  of 
missionary  societies  has  multiplied  to  such  an  extent,  that  every  year 
it  is  becoming  more  difficult  to  avoid  complications  or  collisions,  both 
at  home  and  abroad ;  while  the  waste  of  money  in  their  management 
at  home  is  great,  and  the  waste  of  energy  abroad  is  grievous.  So 
long  as  societies  were  few,  and  the  field  practically  unoccupied,  there 
was  little  risk  of  missionaries  interfering  with  one  another ;  but  now 
that  there  are  a  few  in  almost  all  the  most  inviting  fields,  many  parts 
are  overcrowded,  and  the  labourers  are  elbowing  one  another,  while 
vast  regions  are  left  untouched. 

"  The  Church  of  Rome  has  an  immense  advantage  in  this  respect. 
A  friend,  who  lately  visited  a  large  part  of  the  mission-fields  of 
the  world,  told  me  that  he  could  not  help  admiring,  and  being 
impressed  with,  the  unity  of  purpose,  along  with  the  diversity  of 
operation,  manifested  in  the  Missions  of  that  Church,  while  he  could 
not  but  mourn  over  their  absence  in  the  Missions  of  Protestants. 
And  let  it  be  understood  that  the  fault  does  not  lie  with  the  agents 
abroad ;  they  very  seldom  fall  out,  and  they  do  what  they  can  to 
prevent  overcrowding.  But  if  the  societies,  especially  little  dins, 
which  exist  by  popular  reports,  continue  to  send  men  to  promising 
fields,  the  danger  of  collision  will  be  multiplied,  and  the  success  of 
God's  work  imperilled." 

The  following  is  a  summary  of  the  facts  stated  : 

"  1.  That  the  results  of  missionary  enterprise,  during  the  century, 
have  been  as  great  as  could  reasonably  be  expected  from  the  met  In  ids 
employed,  and  the  stinted  liberality,  faith,  and  prayer  of  the  Church. 

"  2.  That  although  three  millions  of  converts  have  been  added  to 
the  Church,  there  are  now  two  hundred  millions  more  heathen  in  the 
world  than  there  were  when  Protestant  Missions  began  a  hundred 
years  ago. 

"  3.  That  while  Christian  Missions  havo  made  almost  no  impression 
on  the  great  systems  of  heathenism,  the  heathen  have  converted 
many  millions  to  the  faith  of  Brahma,  Buddha,  and  Mohammed. 

"4.  That  by  greatly  multiplying  the  wealth  of  Christians,  and  by 
raising  up  a  spiritual  agency  all  over  the  world,  God  now  gives  His 
people  the  means,  and  calls  upon  them  to  multiply  missionary  work 
tenfold. 

"The  question  now  is,  Shall  Christians,  by  the  consecration  of 
their  talents  and  wealth,  with  faith  and  prayer,  show  their  loyalty  to 
their  Lord's  last  command'?  or  will  they,  like  the  rich  man  in  the 
parable,  go  on  'heaping  up  treasure  for  the  last  days"?" 


Farewell  Meeting.  233 

[  B] 
ADDRESS  AT  EXETER  HALL,  FAREWELL  MEETING,  1885. 

Extracts  from  "A  Missionary  Band"  (by  permission). 

By  Mr.  Stanley  P.  Smith,  B.A. 

There  is  a  Proverb  which  occurs  in  the  eleventh  chapter  of  the 
Book,  which  reads  thus :  "  There  is  that  scattereth,  and  yet  in- 
creaseth ;  and  there  is  that  withholdeth  more  than  is  meet,  but 
it  tendeth  to  poverty."  I  suppose  we  all  allow  that  we  are  under 
obligation  to  spread  the  knowledge  of  a  good  thing.  It  is  this 
simple  fact,  coupled  with  our  having  heard  the  clear  note  of  the 
Master's  call,  which  is  sending  us  out  from  England's  shores.  We 
do  not  go  to  that  far-distant  field  to  speak  of  doctrine  or  theory, 
but  of  a  living,  bright,  present,  reigning  Saviour.  This  was  the 
exact  gospel  which  made  that  Thessalonian  church  of  old  such  an 
evangelistic  church.  We  read,  in  the  space  of  one  year  after  receiv- 
ing it,  they  had  made  the  glad  tidings  sound  throughout  the  whole 
regions  of  Macedonia  and  Achaia,  so  that  the  apostle  hardly  needed 
to  speak  anything.  We  find  the  secret  of  this  spread  of  the  gospel 
was  this  :  Paul  had  passed  through  Amphipolis  and  Appollonia,  and 
came  to  Thessalonica,  and  the  burden  of  his  message  was  that 
there  is  another  King,  one  Jesus.  And  these  Thessalonians,  who 
were  not  going  to  believe  in  any  half-way  religion,  had  gladly 
received  the  mighty  Monarch  as  King  and  Lord  of  their  whole 
being,  and  had  given  themselves  right  up  to  the  Master.  They  were 
not  going  to  propagate  what  was  the  milk-and-water  of  religion, 
but  the  cream  of  the  gospel,  and  to  tell  what  a  blessed  thing  it  was 
to  have  the  love  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  reigning  in  their  hearts. 
This,  dear  friends,  is  the  gospel  we  want  to  recommend.  We  want 
to  go  out  to  the  Chinaman,  buried  in  the  theories  and  prejudices, 
and  bound  by  the  chains  of  lust,  and  say,  "  My  brother,  I  bring  to 
you  an  Almighty  Saviour."  We  want  to  point  them  to  Him  whose 
blood  has  atoned  for  sin,  and  made  peace  for  the  whole  world,  if  only 
the  whole  world  knew  it.  And  it  is  our  earnest  hope  and  desire  that 
the  outcome  of  this  meeting  will  be  that  scores  and  scores  of  those 
whom  we  now  see  before  us  will  before  long  go  out,  not  only  to  China, 
but  to  every  part  of  the  world,  to  spread  the  glorious  gospel. 

Por  years  in  this  England  we  have  been  debtors.  We  have  had 
every  conceivable  privilege,  and  every  conceivable  means  of  getting 
hold  of  the  truth,  and  bathing  ourselves  in  gospel  light.  If  we  are 
groping  in  heathen  darkness  it  is  our  own  fault.  But  the  gospel  is 
rejected  by  multitudes  of  people  in  this  country,  and  it  seems  to  me 
the  cry  might  go  from  many  throats,  "  Seeing  ye  put  it  from  you  and 
judge  yourselves  unworthy  of  everlasting  life,  lo,  we  turn  to  the 
Gentiles."  Let  us  try  and  take  a  bird's-eye  view  of  this  world. 
And  oh,  that  God  may  expand  our  hearts,  that  we  may  think  of  the 
sympathy  of  that  God  who  unbosomed  Himself  that  He  might  bring 
the  world  back  to  Himself,  and  has  committed  to  us  the  glorious 
privilege  of  making  known  the  only  way  by  which  men  may  come 
to  the  Father !  If  we  take  such  a  view  of  the  world  we  shall  not 
keep  our  hearts  long  upon  England.     We  shall  remember  "  there  is 


234  Ajipendices. 

that,  scattereth,  and  yet  increased i ;    and  there   is  that  withholdeth 

more  than  is  meet,  but  it  tendeth  to  poverty."  It  is  my  earnest 
prayer  that  there  may  be  such  an  outlet  of  men  and  women  from  this 
country  as  shall  lead  to  an  inlet  of  blessing  from  heaven,  so  that 
there  will  not  be  room  enough  to  receive  it. 

THE    FIRST    PROTESTANT    .MISSIONARY. 

The  blessed  Master  has  Himself  given,  and  has  taught  us  to  give  : 
pledging  His  royal  word  that  it  shall  be  "given  to  us,  good  measure, 
shaken  together,  pressed  down,  and  running  over."  Yet  only  within 
the  last  century  have  we  begun  to  think  at  all  of  the  great  need  of 
the  heathen  world.  The  Pope  of  Eome,  as  soon  as  he  lost  England 
and  other  countries  at  the  Reformation,  was  ready  enough  to  send 
his  missionaries  far  abroad ;  but  this  nation,  with  the  Bible  open, 
in  the  written  and  spoken  dialect  of  the  people,  read  unheeding  for 
three  centuries  the  words,  "Go  ye  into  all  the  world  and  preach  the 
gospel  to  every  creature;"  and  it  is  only  within  the  last  century  that 
we  have  attempted  to  obey  it.  The  first  man  who  did  seek  to  obey 
was  not  a  learned  man;  he  could  not  claim  any  university  education ; 
he  was  only  a  cobbler.  Yes,  a  cobbler  from  one  of  the  obscure 
towns  of  England  was  the  first  to  send  the  gospel  to  the  heathen. 
This  man,  in  conjunction  with  about  eleven  others,  had  been  meeting 
together.  The  needs  of  the  world  had  been  laid  upon  his  heart,  and 
for  eight  years  he  had  been  praying  to  the  living  God  that  He  would 
provide  the  men  and  send  out  the  gospel,  but  for  eight  years  his 
prayer  had  not  been  answered,  and  he  and  his  friends  met  to  renew 
their  appeal.  As  he  was  coming  out  from  this  meeting  he  put  his 
hand  on  the  shoulder  of  Andrew  Euller,  and  said,  "Are  we  going  to 
separate  again,  and  is  notfkng  to  be  done?"  These  friends  conferred 
together,  and  decided  to  make  a  practical  beginning;  and  William 
Carey  went  to  India. 

FEEDING    EIGHTY    OF    THE    FIVE    THOUSAND. 

Now,  my  friends,  the  living  Lord  is  here  amongst  us,  and  oh, 
how  He  yearns  that  multitudes  out  of  this  great  number  should 
go  forth  to  the  perishing  world  !  He  has  given  us  the  gospel  that  we 
may  proclaim  it  to  others,  and  not  that  we  may  keep  it  ourselves. 
You  remember  once  when  the  five  thousand  were  before  Him,  and 
the  disciples  wished  Him  to  send  them  away  that  they  might  buy 
themselves  food,  He  gave  His  disciples  bread  and  fish,  and  said, 
"They  need  not  depart,  give  ye  them  to  eat."  He  was  there  to 
multiply  the  food  and  to  make  it  sufficient.  And  what  did  the 
disciples  do?  Let  us  make  a  parable  out  of  this  story  for  ourselves. 
Imagine  the  apostles  are  here  distributing  the  food,  and  that  this 
great  assembly  is  the  hungry  multitude  that  is  wailing  to  bo  fed. 
They  go  to  the  first  row  of  benches  distributing  the  food,  and  to  the 
second  and  the  third  and  the  fourth,  and  so  on  to  the  eighth  row. 
But  at  the  end  of  the  eighth  row  they  stop  ami  turn  back  to  the 
first,  and  feed  these  eight  rows  again,  pouring  bread  and  fish  into 
their  laps  and  piling  it  about  them,  leaving  the  starving  multitudes 
behind  uncared  for.  What  do  you  suppose  our  Lord  would  say  if  He 
were  here1?  He  would  say,  "What  are  you  doing?  Here,  Andrew, 
Peter,   John,    what   are   you   doing?     Don't   you   see  the   starving 


Farewell  Meeting.  235 

multitudes  behind1?"  Let  us  take  the  parable  to  ourselves,  for  this 
is  what  we  have  been  doing.  We  have  been  feeding  these  nearest 
to  us  over  and  over  again  with  the  bread  which  our  Lord  has 
given  to  us,  and  have  neglected  the  multitudes  beyond.  What  should 
we  answer]  Should  we  say  that  charity  begins  at  home]  And, 
alas !  charity  stops  at  home,  and  has  been  stopping  at  home  for 
centuries.  God  grant  that  we  may  have  the  charity  that  increaseth, 
for  "there  is  that  which  scattereth,  and  yet  increaseth." 

I  would  just  call  your  attention  to  this  fact — and  it  is  a  fact 
that  we  ought  to  take  deeply  to  ourselves— that  the  knowledge  of 
this  precious  Jesus,  who,  1  hope  to  most  of  us,  is  everything  in  the 
world,  is  absolutely  wanting  to  thousands  and  millions  of  our  brethren 
and  sisters  in  the  present  day.  What  are  we  going  to  do  ]  What  is 
the  use  of  calling  big  meetings  like  this  if  the  outcome  is  not  to  be 
something  worthy  of  the  name  of  Jesus  1  He  wants  us  to  take  up 
our  cross,  and  follow  Him.  To  leave  fathers  and  mothers,  and 
brethren  and  sisters,  and  friends  and  property,  and  everything  we 
love,  and  carry  the  gospel  to  the  perishing  ones.  We  are  not  to 
labour,  said  He,  for  the  meat  that  perisheth,  but  for  that  which 
endureth  to  everlasting  life.  You  remember  when  that  poor  Syro- 
Phcenician  mother  was  pleading  before  Him  she  said  that  even  the 
dogs  were  permitted  to  eat  of  the  crumbs  which  fell  from  the  master's 
table.  Call  the  heathen  dogs  if  you  like,  but  we  have  been  keeping 
back  the  crumbs  from  them. 

LIVING    EPISTLES. 

Our  Lord  wants  us  to  go  and  take  the  gospel  to  the  perishing 
world,  and  by  our  lives  amongst  the  people  to  commend  the  gospel. 
Unfortunately,  many  Englishmen  who  go  out  to  these  lands  do  not 
commend  the  gospel.  The  Chinaman,  oberving  their  conduct,  turns 
away  from  the  message,  believing  his  own  religion  to  be  better,  and 
saying,  "  I  have  got  my  little  stone  idol.  My  father  worshipped  it,  my 
grandfather  and  my  great-grandfather  worshipped  it,  and  at  any  rate 
there  is  the  honour  of  antiquity  about  it ;  but  if  you  ask  me  to  take 
these  Christians'  God,  I  think  I  would  rather  have  my  little  stone  idol. 
It  does  not  teach  me  to  be  drunken,  and  to  be  impure  as  I  see  these 
foreigners  are."  And  to  think  that  we  send  out  from  this  land  of  light 
hundreds  and  thousands,  who  might  in  a  short  time,  if  they  had  only 
first  sought  the  kingdom  of  God,  have  evangelised  the  world. 

"seek  ye  first  the  kingdom  op  god." 
We  want  to  cry  to  God  that  those  who  go  from  England  will  seek 
first  the  kingdom  of  God,  that  the  cobblers  will  resemble  William 
Carey,  that  the  wheelwrights  and  carpenters  will  make  that  the  main 
object  of  their  life,  and  that  the  governors  and  the  consuls  will  make 
it  the  main  object  of  their  life,  to  spread  the  gospel.  This  is  what  we 
need,  and  this  is  that  for  which  we  pray.  We  look  at  Africa,  and  see 
there,  but  a  few  years  ago,  one  brave  young  Scotchman — Frederick 
Stanley  Arnott.  He  starts  from  the  south  of  that  continent,  and 
from  thence  walked  right  up  into  the  heart  of  Africa.  And  through 
what  does  he  pass  1  Anon  he  is  sleeping  under  a  cart,  with  four  degrees 
of  frost  on  the  ground  ;  and  then  he  is  in  a  burning  fever  on  the  desert 
plain,  with  the  fierce  hot  sun  on  his  uncovered  head.    ISTow  he  is  living 


236  Appendices. 

in  the  swamps,  finding  every  day  that  his  garments  are  completely 

wetted  with  the  mists  and  dews.     And  there,  all  alone,  he  toils. 

A  little  farther  north  we  see,  a  few  years  ago,  that  great  man 
Livingstone  kneeling  in  his  tent.  He  is  breathing  his  last  prayers  for 
Africa,  and  dies  praying  for  Africa.  Soon  his  body  is  brought  to 
England,  and  crowds  follow  it  to  Westminster  Abbey,  and  speak  well 
of  the  dead  man's  deeds.  If  Livingstone  could  leap  to  life,  what  would 
he  say]  "Do  not  follow  my  body  home  to  this  cathedral,  but  follow 
where  my  heart  lies,  out  yonder  in  Africa.  Obey  your  Lord's  command — 
'  Go  ye  into  all  the  world,  and  preach  the  gospel  to  every  creature.'" 

Oh,  to  think  that  Gordon  has  but  to  speak  a  word  from  Khartoum, 
and  millions  of  money  go  from  England !  Forth  go  our  gallant 
soldiers,  and  in  Egypt  our  noblest  and  bravest  spill  their  blood.  And 
it  is  right,  I  suppose,  that  Gordon  should  be  rescued.  But  a  greater 
than  Gordon  cries  from  Khartoum.  Whose  is  that  voice  ?  It  is  the 
voice  of  Christ  from  the  cross  of  Calvary,  and  He  cries  in  tones  of 
love,  "I  thirst."  And,  ah!  that  divine  thirst  has  not  yet  been 
quenched.  It  has  hardly  begun  to  be  quenched.  He  thirsts  for  the 
Chinese,  for  the  Africans,  for  the  Asiatics,  and  for  the  South 
Americans.  And  are  there  none  here  who  would  quench  His  thirst  ? 
Would  you  pass  by  that  Christ  ?  See  His  agony  !  You  would  not 
do  so  had  you  seen  Him  in  the  flesh.  But,  my  brethren  and  sisters, 
He  thirsts  with  a  deeper  than  bodily  thirst ;  with  His  great  soul  He 
thirsts  for  the  millions  of  this  earth.  David  once  thirsted  for  the 
waters  of  Bethlehem,  and  said,  "  Oh,  would  God  that  one  would  give 
me  to  drink  of  the  water."  And  three  of  his  followers,  at  the  risk  of 
their  lives,  broke  through  the  ranks  of  the  enemy,  and  got  him  the 
water ;  but  when  he  received  it  he  could  not  drink  it,  but  poured  it 
upon  the  ground.  Yes,  David's  thirst  was  bodily  thirst.  But  shall 
not  this  mightier  than  David  have  His  thirst  quenched  to-night? 
Shall  not  the  divine  Lord  have  His  thirst  quenched?  Shall  not  the 
Man  of  Sorrows  have  His  heart  rejoiced  by  men  and  women,  young 
and  old,  offering  themselves  to  the  cause  of  spreading  the  glorious 
gospel?  Christ  yearns  over  this  earth.  What  are  we  going  to  do? 
Many  here  cannot  leave  their  native  land  ;  but  others  who  are  free  to 
go  may  ask,  "  What  is  sending  you  out?"  I  cannot  tell  you  of  any 
vision  or  dream,  but  I  can  point  the  hand,  and  show  you  the  needs 
abroad  that  prevent  us  stopping  in  England.  You  cannot  want  to 
remain  in  England  when  once  you  know  of  the  thousands  that  are 
preaching  the  gospel  here,  and  of  the  twos  and  threes  that  are 
preaching  it  abroad. 

God  will  have  this  work  done.  I  don't  know  that  He  will  raise 
up  Englishmen  or  Scotchmen  to  do  it;  but  the  work  shall  be  dime, 
and  the  gospel  shall  be  spread.  Even  if  the  stones  of  our  streets  have 
to  be  raised  up  to  cry  out,  God  will  see  that  His  Son  shall  have  His 
right.  Oh,  may  we  therefore  be  wise,  and  while  there  is  yet 
opportunity  be  amongst  the  workers!  Do  you  ask  why  London  is 
growing  up  in  the  state  it  is?  Do  you  ask  why  our  land  is  full  of 
infidelity?  why  our  cities  are  festering  in  wickednesss?  You  have 
the  answer.  We  are  in  distress,  and  there  is  sin  in  the  camp.  Yes, 
"there  is  that  scattereth,  and  yet  incroaseth ;  and  there  is  that 
withholdeth  more  than  is  meet,  and  it  tendeth  to  poverty."     It  is 


Warnings  and  Hints  for  Intending  Missionaries.      237 

the  poverty  of  withholding  that  is  upon  us.  The  mighty,  loving  Lord 
constrains  us  by  His  love  to  scatter,  and  God  will  indeed  scatter  us. 
Our  prayer  should  be,  "If  it  he  persecution,  scatter;  or  if  it  be  war, 
yet  scatter ;  or  if  it  be  pestilence,  yet  scatter ;  or  if  it  be  intolerance 
that  arises  up  and  drives  us  from  the  land,  yet  scatter."  Oh,  may  we 
in  England  know  the  blessedness  of  this  simple  privilege,  "  There  is 
that  scattereth,  and  yet  increaseth  ! "    This  is  my  desire  and  prayer. 

"if  ye  love  me,  keep  my  commandments." 
And  now  the  last  word.  How  can  one  leave  such  an  audience  as 
this  1  It  seems  to  me  as  if  Christ  has  come  right  into  your  midst, 
and  has  looked  into  the  face  of  you  men  and  women,  young,  old,  and 
middle-aged.  He  would  take  hold  with  loving  hands  of  each  one, 
and,  looking  into  your  eyes,  point  to  the  wounds  in  His  pierced  side, 
and  ask,  "  Lovest  thou  Me1?"  And  you  would  say,  "Yea,  Lord,  Thou 
knowest  that  I  love  Thee."  And  what  is  the  test  of  love?  "If  ye 
love  Me,  keep  My  commandments."  What  is  the  test  of  friendship1? 
"Slake  My  thirst."  "Ye  are  My  friends,  if  ye  do  whatsoever  I- 
command  thee."  And  what,  Master,  do  You  command  ]  "  Go  ye  into 
all  the  world,  and  preach  the  gospel  to  every  creature." 

WARNINGS  AND  HINTS  FOE  INTENDING  MISSIONARIES. 
From  Messrs.  Stanley  Smith  and  C.  T.  Studd. 
To  a  Cambridge  Friend. 

Ping-yang  Fu,  Shan-si,  Nov.  3rd,  1885. 
We  thought  we  (for  Charley  Studd  is  now  at  P'ing-yang)  would 
send  you  some  warnings  and  hints  for  Cambridge  and  other  men 
who  may  be  thinking  of  coming  out  to  the  foreign  field.  These 
are  our  humble  but  candid  opinions,  and  are  mainly  the  results  of 
not  a  little  trying  experience. 

1.  Let  Christian  men  wait  on  the  Lord  to  know  His  mind  and 
will  as  to  where  He  would  have  them  go.  It  is  true  the  Master 
says,  "  Go  into  all  the  world,"  but  that  is  "  all  the  world,"  and  may 
not  mean  England  or  France  to  some,  or  Asia  or  Africa  to  others. 
We  are  not  independent  officers,  but  deeply  dependent  soldiers. 
There  are  some  of  whom  God  says,  "  I  sent  them  not,  yet  they 
ran  and  prophesied."     God  will  guide  those  who  wait  on  Him. 

2.  Let  them  beware  of  thinking,  "  Now  that  I  have  made  up  my 
mind  to  this  '  great  sacrifice '  in  going  out  to  the  heathen,  I  shall  grow 
in  grace  very  easily,  temptations  will  be  almost  gone,  and  worldliness 
will  have  no  power  over  me."  As  a  matter  of  fact,  temptations  are 
far  stronger  and  far  more  subtle.     This  is  our  united  experience. 

3.  Let  them  beware  of  thinking,  when  they  get  out,  that  "learning 
the  language,"  or  later  on,  even  "preaching,"  is  the  great  thing.  The 
great  thing  is  to  maintain  a  close  personal  walk  with  God. 

4.  Let  them  beware  of  thinking  that  the  body  is  nothing  at  all 
and  not  to  be  cared  for ;  while,  on  the  other  hand,  if  a  man  is  very 
particular  about  his  food,  the  foreign  field  is  not  the  place  for  him. 

5.  Let  them  not  come  out  unless  they  are  grounded  in  the  conviction 
that  the  whole  Bible  is  the  revealed  Word  of  God.  They  will  have 
to  face  deep  mysteries ;  if  the  LUble  does  not  explain  them,  let  them 


238  Appendices. 

be  content  to  wait  for  the  right  time  "  when  we  shall  know  as  we  are 
known."  At  the  same  time,  if  they  do  not  believe  that  men  who  are 
not  saved  are  lost,  why  do  they  think  of  becoming  missionaries  1 

6.  Unless  in  the  foreign  held  they  are  prepared  to  find  their  joy 
and  satisfaction  in  the  living  God,  and  not  in  circumstances  (neither 
being  discouraged  by  failure,  nor  pulled  up  by  success),  they  will 
not  have  with  them  the  weapon  which  is  "their  strength;"  namely, 
"the  joy  of  the  Lord." 

7.  Let  them  beware  of  riding  one  side  of  truth  to  death ;  take  the 
whole  Word.  Beware  of  the  devil,  who  is  strong  here ;  and  he  ware 
of  fanaticism — by  "fanaticism"  we  mean  "unbalanced  truths." 

8.  Let  them  beware  of  being  carried  away  by  the  distractions  of 
everything  new. 

9.  Lastly,  let  them  seek  to  be  led  of  God,  and  not  of  man. 
Messed  be  God,  all  these  dangers  are  avoided  by  being  in  com- 
munion with  God — abiding  in  Christ. 

And  now  let  us  state  a  few  facts  as  regards  possibilities  of  service  here. 

1.  The  language.  It  is  not  so  hard  as  represented  often.  After 
three  or  four  months'  ordinary  study  a  man  can  do  most  useful  work 
in  putting  the  main  facts  of  the  gospel  before  the  people. 

2.  As  regards  travelling  and  living.  Travelling  in  carts  is  novel, 
but  you  soon  get  used  to  it.  Donkey,  mule,  horse,  sedan,  wheel- 
barrow, and  boat  are  all  used.  As  regards  food,  take  away  beef  and 
butter,  and  you  have  as  good  plain  living  as  you  could  get  in  England. 

3.  Houses  are  comfortable. 

4.  Dress.  Native  dress  a  matter  of  taste  ;  we  prefer  it  to  English. 
In  the  coast  stations  they  don't  wear  it. 

5.  The  people,  at  any  rate  here  in  North  China,  are  extremely  well- 
disposed,  constantly  asking  you  to  drink  tea ;  in  two  or  three 
provinces,  however,  it  is  not  so. 

6.  Lastly,  as  regards  opportunities,  they  are  simply  innumerable. 
Doors  open  on  all  hands.  In  the  street  you  can  always  get  an 
attentive  congregation.  Around  here,  in  Shan-si,  is  a  blessed  work 
going  on.  We  want  labourers,  who  know  God,  and  believe  in  His 
Holy  Spirit.  Yours  affectionately  in  Jesus, 

Stanley  P.  Smith, 
C.  T.  Studd. 

THE   AGE    OF    OPPORTUNITY. 

By  Rev.  Wm.  Arthur,  M.A. 

To  Christianity  this  is  pre-eminently  the  ago  of  opportunity.  Never 
before  did  the  world  offer  to  her  any  tiling  like  the  same  open  field  as 
at  this  moment.  Even  a  single  century  from  the  present  time,  how 
much  more  limited  was  her  access  to  the  minds  of  men.  Within  our 
own  favoured  country  a  zealous  preacher  would  then  have  been 
driven  away  from  many  a  sphere  where  now  he  would  be  hailed.  On 
the  continent  of  Europe  the  whole  of  France  has  been  opened  to  the 
preaching  of  the  Word,  though  under  some  restraints.  In  Belgium, 
Sardinia,  and  other  lields,  it  may  now  be  said  that  the  word  of  God 
is  not  bound.  A  century  ago  the  Chinese  empire,  the  Mohammedan 
world,  and  Africa,  containing  between  them  such  a  preponderating 


The  World  Open  to  the  Gospel.  239 

majority  of  the  human  race,  were  all  closed  against  the  gospel  of 
Christ.  China  is  opened  at  several  points.  The  whole  empire  of  the 
Mogul  is  one  field  where  opportunity  and  protection  invite  the 
evangelist.  Turkey  itself  has  been  added  to  the  spheres  wherein  he 
may  labour.  Around  the  wild  shores  of  Africa,  and  far  into  her 
western,  eastern,  and  southern  interior,  outposts  of  Christianity  have 
been  established.  Wide  realms  beyond  invite  her  onward.  In  the 
South  seas  several  regions,  which  a  hundred  years  ago  had  not  been 
made  known  by  the  voyages  of  Cook,  are  now  regularly  occupied. 
Could  the  churches  of  England  and  America  send  forth  to-morrow  a 
hundred  thousand  preachers  of  the  gospel,  each  one  of  them  might 
find  a  sphere,  already  opened  by  the  strong  hand  of  Providence,  where 
a  century  ago  none  of  them  could  have  come  without  danger. — From 
"The  Tongue  of  Fire." 

THE  WOKLD  OPEN  TO  THE  GOSPEL. 

By  Mr.  Keginald  Eadcliffe. 

Some  of  us  can  go  back  nearly  fifty  years.  What  was  the  prayer 
then,  and  what  was  the  cry  1  The  heathen  countries  were  then 
locked  up.  Africa  was  no  more  known  in  its  centre  than  if  it  had 
been  a  piece  of  the  moon.  China  was  locked.  The  Eastern  countries, 
many  of  them,  were  locked.  Now  they  are  all  thrown  open  and  we 
are  altogether  in  a  different  position,  and  especially  you  young  people, 
than  when  the  chairman  and  I  were  young  men.  We  were  born  into 
a  world  locked  against  the  gospel.  The  people  who  are  now  listening 
to  me  are  living  in  a  world  thrown  open  to  the  gospel. 

The  word  I  would  close  with  is  from  the  epistle  to  the  Ephesians  : 
"  Awake,  thou  that  sleepest,"  or,  as  it  is,  I  suppose,  literally,  "  Be  up, 
thou  that  sleepest."  Some  of  you  remember,  from  reading  the  account 
of  the  battle  of  Waterloo,  that,  after  the  English  Guards  had  been 
lying  for  hours,  Lord  Wellington's  word  came,  "  Up,  Guards,  and  at 
them!"  And  that  is  the  word  for  every  Christian  man  and  woman 
now  in  England,  and  in  America,  and  in  Scotland.  Oh,  I  wish  that 
our  young  friend,  when  he  goes  back  to  Scotland,  would  tell  them 
that  Scotland  is  comfortably  asleep  with  regard  to  the  heathen. 
Here  in  the  centre  of  England  to-night — at  least  in  the  centre  of 
London — I  tell  my  fellow-Englishmen  that  England  is  asleep  with 
regard  to  the  heathen.  And  if  I  were  in  the  centre  of  America 
in  New  York,  I  would  say  there  that  the  Protestant  Church  of 
America  is  asleep  with  regard  to  the  heathen.    We  are  not  half  awake. 

But  now  this  blessed  Word  says,  "  LTp !  thou  that  sleepest,  and 
arise  from  the  dead,  and  Christ  shall  shine  upon  thee."  And  then 
in  the  following  verges  what  is  said  1  We  are  to  redeem  the  time. 
We  are  to  appreciate  the  responsibilities  of  the  day  in  which  we 
live.  The  responsibilities  of  our  fathers  were  not  like  our  responsi- 
bilities. They  were  born,  I  repeat,  into  a  world  locked  against  the 
gospel.  Now  we  are  living  in  a  world  thrown  open  to  the  gospel, 
and  we  are  now  to  redeem  the  time,  and  seize  our  opportunity.  It  is 
a  solemn  thing,  and  I  feel  when  I  speak  on  this  subject  as  if  God 
opens  my  eyes,  and  I  see  a  vision  that  I  never  saw  before.  I  see 
that  we  are  asleep  here,  and  I  see  the  heathen  perishing.     Oh,  this  I 


240  Appendices. 

believe — I  would  almost  venture  to  say  I  know — that  the  Lord  will 
raise  up  an  army,  and  they  will  go  amongst  those  dead  Africans,  and 
dead  Indians,  and  dead  Chinamen ;  and  the  Holy  Ghost  sent  down 
from  heaven  will  accompany  the  Word,  and  there  will  he  multitudes 
of  them  born  again  by  the  mighty  power  of  the  Spirit. 

Oh,  friends,  one  word  of  prayer  as  I  sit  down.  Our  Father,  for 
Christ's  sake,  awaken  Scotland ;  awaken  London ;  awaken  America ! 
Oh,  awaken  the  Lutheran  countries  on  the  Continent !  Awake, 
awake,  0  arm  of  the  Lord]  Put  on  thy  strength,  and  let  us  see  a 
mighty  resurrection,  to  the  glory  of  Christ  Jesus.  Amen.- — From 
an  Address  at  the  Annual  Meeting  of  the  China.  Inland  Mission. 

WHO   WILL   GO? 

By   Mr.    Eeginald    Eadcliffe. 

Some  thirty  years  ago,  as  I  was  alone  in  a  friend's  house  in  a  lovely 
part  of  Hertfordshire,  there  walked  up  to  me,  calmly  and  gently, 
a  man  dressed  in  dark  blue,  carrying  his  blue  cap.  This  unobtrusive 
stranger  was  David  Livingstone.  Already  he  had  been  in  the  jaws 
of  the  lion,  but  his  heart  was  absorbed  with  love  for  Africa's  dark 
sons.  What  was  the  secret  of  such  loving,  not  in  words,  but  in 
deeds?  Too  much  engrossed  in  my  own  puny  work,  at  that  time 
confined  to  Britain,  little  did  I  then  think  of  the  wonders  that 
unassuming  man  was  to  perform — of  his  weary  wanderings,  sometimes 
under  a  tropical  sun,  sometimes  wading  through  swamps,  often 
agonised  by  the  heartrending  devastations  of  the  slave-dealer.  He 
mingled  his  tears  with  those  of  the  captives,  the  widows,  and 
children.  He  writes  down  his  prayer  for  a  blessing  on  every  one — 
Christian  or  Turk — "who  will  help  to  heal  this  open  sore  of  the 
world."  And  at  last,  after  trailing  himself  along,  he  dies  of  dysentery. 
But  what  was  the  secret  of  his  power"? 

Africa  had  been  hidden.  Our  traditions  of  it,  and  the  knowledge 
of  it  possessed  by  the  world's  wisest  men,  were  altogether  astray,  both 
as  to  its  geography  and  as  to  its  people.  Livingstone  flooded  the 
world  with  light  as  to  both.  Now  hear  his  secret  in  his  own  words 
from  a  touching  entry*  in  his  journal,  written  upon  the  last  birthday 
but  one  of  his  eventful  life.  It  reveals  at  once  the  motive  and  tin1 
earnestness  of  his  whole  career  : 

"  .My  Jesus,  my  King,  my  Life,  my  All,  I  again  dedicate  my  whole 
self  to  thee." 

Like  Stephen,  Livingstone  also  was  a  man  full  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 
At  Stephen's  death  there  sprang  forth  multitudes,  who  forthwith 
spread  the  gospel  j  but  that  was  under  the  stimulus  of  persecution. 
Now  is  it  possible,  in  this  day  of  the  love  of  money,  of  luxury,  and 
of  ease,  that  the  Church  can,  without  persecution,  but  remembering 
the  life  and  love  Livingstone  poured  out  for  Africa,  be  aroused  to 
rescue  her,  and  claim  her  for  Livingstone's  Master?  [f  not,  how 
immensely  does  it  add  to  our  responsibility  that  we  have  Buffered  his 
shattered  remains  to  be  brought  from  afar,  and  buried  in  Westminster 
Abbey,  lie  craved  do  following  to  Westminster,  but  he  did  crave 
and  implore  Christians  to  follow  him  to  Africa. 

*  See  Modern  Heroes  of  th*  M  Hodder  and  Stoughton. 


"Men  with  whom  it  is  a  Passion  to  Save  Men."        241 

Much  has  been  done  since ;  but  oh,  how  little  compared  with  the 
compassion  of  Livingstone's  Master !  What  a  feeble  response  to  His 
command,  and  what  a  feeble  reply  to  His  challenge,  "If  ye  love  Me,  keep 
My  commandments."  The  slave  trade  still  cruelly  burns,  starves,  chains, 
and  kills  its  victims ;  still  the  civilized  Europeans  barter  useless  gin 
and  brandy  for  valuable  goods,  and  even  the  great  International 
African  Treaty  of  Berlin,  though  some  of  the  Powers  opposed, 
authorizes  the  introduction  of  this  fire-water,  that  will  destroy  such 
noble  fellows  as  those  who  faithfully  and  affectionately  bore  Living- 
stone's remains  from  the  interior  of  their  bleeding  country.  Yet,  if 
the  word  of  Livingstone's  great  Master  were  introduced  and  lived, 
the  slave  trade  would  vanish  like  smoke. 

Who  will  go?  Many  are  wanted.  Yet  better  far  God's  three  hundred 
than  Gideon's  thirty-two  thousand.  Yea,  should  any  go  who  cannot 
from  his  heart  write  his  name  under  Livingstone's  secret,  "  My  Jesus, 
my  King,  my  Life,  my  All,  I  now  dedicate  my  whole  self  to  thee'"? 

"  MEN"  WITH  WHOM  IT  IS  A  PASSION  TO  SAVE  MEN." 
By  Eev.  Griffith  John. 

We  want  men  of  sterling  character  and  worth — men  of  tact,  spirit, 
and  energy — manly  men,  full  of  grace  and  common-sense.  Give  us 
highly-cultured  men,  if  they  can  be  found.  But  if  not,  then  give  us 
men  possessing  a  good,  sound  English  education.  Such  men,  if 
filled  with  the  Spirit  of  God,  and  fired  with  the  missionary  enthusiasm, 
will  not  fail  to  do  a  noble  work  for  God  in  any  part  of  the  mission- 
field.  The  great  need  of  China  is  men,  not  mere  wise  men  or 
learned  men,  but  men  of  deep  conviction ;  men  who  feel  they  have 
been  separated  and  called  for  a  great  work ;  men  who  are  conscious 
of  the  all-consuming  power  of  the  love  of  God ;  men  with  whom  it 
is  a  passion  to  save  men,  and  who  are  prepared  to  brave  all  things 
and  endure  all  things  in  order  to  finish  the  work  which  they  feel  in 
their  inmost  soul  the  Lord  has  given  them  to  do.  The  old  dread  of 
the  man-inspired  missionary  is  still  upon  me.  I  have  not  the  least 
desire  to  see  any  of  such  going  forth  to  the  heathen  world.  But  can 
I  be  wrong  in  supposing  that  there  are  in  our  universities,  colleges, 
and  churches  many  who  are  called  of  God  to  be  missionaries  1  It  is 
to  them  I  appeal.  I  ask  them  to  consider  the  claims  of  China  and 
other  parts  of  the  mission-held,  and  to  listen  for  the  Divine  voice  in 
respect  to  the  course  they  should  adopt.  I  do  not  invite  them  to  a 
life  of  ease  and  self-pleasing,  but  to  one  of  trial  and  self-abnegation, 
of  hard  toil  and  patient  endurance.  Still,  I  am  prepared  to  promise 
them  a  joy  in  this  work  such  as  will  enable  them  to  understand  what 
the  Master  meant  when  He  said,  "My  peace  I  give  unto  you."  The 
romance  of  missions  is  a  home  dream ;  but  the  blessedness  of  the 
missionary  life  is  a  reality  gloriously  verified  in  the  experience  of 
every  one  baptised  to  the  work.  Are  there  no  young  men  of 
independent  means  who  will  go  forth  and  support  themselves  on  the 
field  1  Are  there  no  fathers  and  mothers  who  are  prepared  not  only 
to  offer  their  sons  and  daughters  on  the  altar  for  this  high  and  holy 
purpose,  but  also  the  gold  and  the  silver  required  to  meet  their 
wants  1 


242  Appendices. 

[C] 

INDIA. 

The  following  letter  was  sent  by  the  Rev.  J.  Gelson  Gregson  to 
Mr.  Mathieson,  evidently  under  the  impression  that  the  Missionary 
Conference  was  to  be  held  for  the  purpose  of  conferring  on  the 
best  methods  of  carrying  on  missionary  work.  Though  this  lei 
was  not  read  at  the  Conference,  we  deem  its  proposal  worthy  of  the 
earnest  and  prayerful  consideration  of  all  those  who  are  "waiting 
for  His  Son  from  heaven."  There  may  be  statements  with  which 
some  of  our  readers  will  not  quite  agree,  but  we  trust  that  this 
will  not  prejudice  them  against  the  main  purport  of  this  letter.  It  is 
our  conviction  that  great  and  wonderful  things  might  be  the  result 
of  a  line  of  action  such  as  is  here  indicated.  \\re  long  to  see  simpler 
and  more  apostolic  methods  resorted  to,  with  a  dependence  once 
more  not  on  "might  or  power,"  but  on  the  Spirit  of  God.  We 
rejoice  to  think  that  we  see  in  every  part  of  the  mission-held  tokens 
of  a  revival  of  the  apostolic  spirit. 

Mussoorie,  India,  Sept.  11,  1886. 
My  dear  Mr.  Mathiesox, — The  mail  has  just  arrived,  and  I  see 
that  there  is  to  be  a  Conference  at  Mildmay,  on  the  important  subject 
of  the  evangelization  of  the  world.      I  now  write,  hoping  that  a  Jew 
lines  from  India  may  be  acceptable  on  the  matter  of  Evangel] 
for  India. 

1.  The  present  system  of  missions  in  India  may  be  described  as  the 
educational  and  subsidized  system — schools,  colleges,  training  institu- 
tions, and  a  paid  native  agency.  To  these  we  may  add  a  preaching 
tour  of  a  month  or  six  weeks,  when  the  missionary  and  his  family, 
accompanied  by  one  or  two  native  preachers,  go  into  the  district. 
Otherwise,  there  may  be  said  to  be  no  evangelistic  work  in  India.* 

Here  and  there  a  missionary  will  be  found  who  breaks  away  from 
his  class,  and  devotes  himself  exclusively  to  evangelistic  work  ;  but 
it  is  scarcely  too  much  to  say  that  he  is  usually  regarded  as  a  ma  a 
with  peculiar  ideas,  and  eccentric  in  his  views  of  mission  work. 

Most  missionary  organizations  believe  that  they  are  going  to  con- 
vert India,  and  have  spent  large  sums  of  money  in  building  colleges 
and  institutions  and  schools,  and  maintain  large  staffs  of  teachers, 
so  as  to  secure  this  end.  Few  are  looking  for  the  coming  of  Christ 
as  King,  to  establish  His  own  kingdom,  and  therefore  have  no  belief 
in  the  gospel  being  "preached  for  a  witness  to  all  nations." 

2.  The  time  has  come  for  all  who  look  for  His  appearing  to  give 
practical  effect  to  their  belief  by  inaugurating  a  system  of  evangeliza- 
tion in  harmony  with  their  faith  in  Christ  establishing  His  kingdom. 
A  grave  responsibility  is  now  attached  to  their  faith — namely,  tho 

*  While  this  may  be  strictly  true  of  some  mission  stations,  we  are  sure  tl 
many  a  great  deal  of  •'  tic  work  is  done  by  the  missionaries  and 

their  native  helpers.     In  some  aing  one  or  more  of 

the  missionary  igo  forth  to  preach  the  gospel  in  the  bbzats  or  at  the  gat 
the  city.  a,  however,  we  fear  that  other  work  is  allowed  to  interfere, 

ami  that  not  unfrequently  the  catechi  tor  reader  (not  always  either  a  spiriti 
minded  or  efficient  agent  I  is  left  to     i  With  reg  •  and 

many  country  districts  Mr.  Gregson's  statement  is  quite  true. 


Indict.  243 

duty  of  preaching  the  gospel  to  all  creatures — that  blessed  gospel  of 
Christ's  redemption  and  the  glorious  hope  of  His  appearing.  This 
has  to  be  accomplished  before  He  can  come.  The  Master's  words  are 
clear  and  distinct — "  This  gospel  shall  be  preached  in  the  whole  world 
as  a  witness  to  all  nations,  and  then  cometh  the  end." 

3.  Without  interfering  with  any  existing  missionary  organization, 
I  would  suggest  that  churches,  districts,  families,  and  individuals  might 
at  once  begin  by  sending  out  evangelists  to  different  parts  of  India, 
where  the  gospel  has  seldom,  if  ever,  been  preached.  Such  centres  can 
be  easily  pointed  out,  both  in  the  hills  and  plains  of  this  vast  empire. 

This  is  only  a  letter  suggesting  a  practical  system  for  the  evan- 
gelization of  India ;  so  that  I  don't  feel  called  upon  to  advance  any 
argument  in  its  support,  although  I  may  refer  to  my  paper  on  "  The 
Divine  Purpose  in  Missions,"  at  the  Mildmay  Conference  on  "Things 
that  shall  come  to  pass." 

a.  Evangelists  should,  in  all  cases,  go  two  and  two,  and  be  un- 
encumbered with  family  surroundings  and  obligations,  able  to  "endure 
hardness  as  good  soldiers,"  separated  unto  the  work — as  soldiers  who 
leave  their  families  and  home  surroundings  when  they  go  on  service. 

b.  The  cost  of  such  an  expedition  would  have  to  be  reduced  to 
the  lowest  practical  point.  It  would  be  on  a  very  different  scale 
from  the  allowances  required  by  missionary  agents  who  live  in 
stations,  where  the  demands  of  the  European  residents  necessitate  a 
conformity  to  the  conventional  customs  of  society. 

c.  Many  churches  or  families,  or  even  individuals,  could  afford  to 
support  an  evangelist  on  £100  a  year;  this  would  be  sufficient  to 
meet  all  his  expenses.  I  estimate  his  personal  support  at  50  rupees 
a  month — £5 — and  the  balance  would  defray  travelling  expenses. 
Passages  to  India  can  now  be  procured  in  ordinary  steamers  for  about 
£20  or  £25,  so  that  the  evangelistic  expedition  is  within  reach 
of  many  who  are  at  once  capable  of  providing  the  means.  1  simply 
appeal  to  those  who  believe  in  the  Lord's  coming  to  aid  this  enterprise, 
as  they  cannot  be  anxious  about  a  large  balance  at  the  bank  and 
legacies,  when  they  are  daily  expecting  their  Lord. 

d.  When  we  are  prepared  to  do  all  that  the  Master  requires  us  to 
do  in  fitting  out  this  expedition,  I  have  faith  to  believe  that  He  will 
thrust  out  His  own  servants  into  His  vineyard — send  men  who  look  for 
His  appearing,  and  desire  to  be  found  faithful,  and  at  the  post  of 
duty  when  they  see  His  face.  Men  thus  sent  out  will  have  the 
necessary  gifts  for  acquiring  the  language  and  carrying  out  His 
instructions  concerning  the  evangelization  of  India,  without  being 
dismayed  or  discouraged  by  results.  They  are  not  working  merely 
for  results,  but  for  the  accomplishment  of  their  Master's  will. 

e.  They  will  have  no  denomination  to  sustain,  no  buildings  to 
erect,  no  training  institutions  to  watch,  no  orphanages  to  superintend, 
no  schools  requiring  instruction,  no  paid  native  agents  to  direct ;  but 
they  will  have  to  fulfil  the  order— namely,  "Preach  the  gospel  to 
every  creature" — and  leave  the  issues  of  that  proclamation  in  the 
hands  of  the  Master  who  has  given  the  command,  and  who  in  the 
great  day  of  His  appearing  will  vindicate  its  wisdom  and  power, 
saying  to  His  servants,  "  Well  done,  good  and  faithful ;  thou  hast 
been  faithful  in  a  few  things  :  be  thou  ruler  over  many."     Eirst,  a 


244  Appendices. 

servant ;  second,  a  ruler.     The  lesson  of  obedience  must  be  accepted 
before  the  powers  of  governing  can  be  entrusted  to  the  servant. 

In  this  hurried  sketch  you  will  see  an  opening  for  the  faith  of 
those  servants  who  are  waiting  for  their  Lord.  The  cry  has  gone 
forth,  "Behold,  the  Bridegroom  cometh."  It  is  time  that  a  sleeping 
church  awoke  and  saw  its  position,  rather  than  in  dreamy  slumbers 
deluded  itself  with  fancies  that  never  can  be  realized  regarding  the 
evangelization  of  the  world. 

May  the  Master  guide  your  deliberations,  and  make  evident  His 
purpose  in  bringing  His  people  together  to  confer  upon  a  work  which 
is  so  closely  connected  with  His  coming  and  the  establishment  of 
His  kingdom  on  earth.  Believe  me,  yours  sincerely, 

J.   Gelson  Gregson. 
[  D] 
THE  FRENCH   COLONISTS   OF  ALGERIA. 

The  insurrection  of  the  natives  in  1871,  and  the  attempt  by  force  of 
arms  to  throw  oft'  the  French  yoke,  was  suppressed  by  the  return  of 
the  troops  from  the  war  with  Germany,  and  Algeria  wi 
brought  into  suhjection  to  Franco;  but  the  penalty  of  their  outbreak 
was  a  heavy  war  tax,  and  with  many  the  loss  of  their  lands,  which 
the  French  assigned  to  expatriated  colonists  from  Alsace  and  Lorraine. 
This  territory  was  chiefly  in  the  Tell. 

There  are  now  three  hundred  villages  of  these  colonists,  and  no  one 
to  evangelize  them  all,  whether  Romanist  or  Protestant.  An  occasional 
visit  to  some  of  these  villages  may  be  made  by  Protestant  pastors  for 
marriages,  baptisms,  and  burials ;  but  tins  has  little  to  do  with  the 
evangelization  of  the  masses,  and  need  not  enter  into  the  question. 

As  far  as  myself  and  my  wife  have  visited  these  villages,  they 
appear  to  us  to  be  morally  in  a  most  deplorable  condition  ;  drunken- 
ness prevailing  to  a  great  extent,  and  atheism  almost  universally 
professed.  There  may  be  individuals  like  one  we  met  with  not  long 
since,  who  said,  "In  my  own  country  I  was  accustomed  to  hear  the 
gospel,  but  here  we  forget  all  these  things  ;"  but  the  people  generally 
have  sunk  to  such  a  low  condition  as  to  be  a  scandal  to  the  natives 
around,  who  look  upon  them  as  Christians,  and  judge  of  Christianity 
from  their  lives. 

Nothing  has  been  done  for  them  by  the  Christians  in  France  these 
fifteen  years.  Several  friends  in  London  have  assisted  to  place  two 
colporteur  evangelists  amongst  them  —  Frenchmen  and  earnest 
Christians;  but  then,  should  be  six  or  eight  more  to  meet  the 
necessities  of  the  case.  It  calls  for  earnest  prayer  thai  Cod  would  be 
pleased  to  raise  up  and  send  forth  labourers  into  His  harvest,  and 
then  no  doubt  the  means  would  be  found  for  their  support.  Mr. 
McAll  has  had  two  stations  for  preaching  in  Algiers  itself;  but  the 
men  wanted  for  this  work  are  itinerants,  who  could  call  at  every 
house  in  a  village,  as  my  wife  has  done,  and  hold  meetings,  and  then 
on  to  another. 

It  would  be  better  if  the  colporteur  evangelists  were  Frencl 
men;  but  Englishmen,  like  Mr.  Cook,  in  the  South  of  France,  have 
bi  en  greatly  blessed  of  God.     Ladies  too  might  find  a  great  sphere  of 
usefulness  in  the  villages,   going  two  and  two,  lodging  in  one  for  a 


Italy.  245 

time,  and  then  passing  on  to  another.  A  man  and  his  wife  would  he 
hetter  still. 

I  mention  this  great  need,  as  it  has  heen  under  my  eye,  and  I 
know  it.  God  is  working  wondrously  in  our  days,  and  though  French 
Christians  have  so  neglected  Algeria,  which  has  been  fifty-six  years 
under  the  French  dominion,  He  may  he  pleased,  in  ways  we  know 
not,  to  answer  our  prayers  for  the  good  of  these  destitute  and 
neglected  people.  From  Mr>  George  Pearce. 

Depot  Central,  Place  clu  Theatre  Fraiifais,  Paris. 

[  E] 

ITALY. 

Any  struggle  for  freedom  of  conscience  against  the  spiritual,  as  well  as 
political,  tyranny  of  Rome  must  enlist  our  sincere  sympathy.  We, 
therefore,  print  a  letter  commending  the  work  of  Count  Campello  and 
his  colleagues  to  the  attention  of  the  Christians  assembled  at  the 
Mildmay  Missionary  Conference  : 

Sir, — Observing  with  interest,  though  unfortunately  too  late  to  be 
able  to  attend  the  Conference  in  person,  that  the  subject  for  discussion 
this  evening  is  to  be  the  "  Continent  of  Europe,"  I  venture  to  ask  the 
attention  of  the  Mildmay  Conference  to  the  religious  condition  of  Italy. 

The  change  which  has  been,  to  a  great  extent  silently,  but  none  the 
less  really,  wrought  by  the  Vatican  Council  is  far  from  being 
adequately  apprehended.  Following  that  Council  and  its  consequences 
as  I  have  during  the  past  sixteen  years,  I  see  and  recognise  a  great 
difference  between  the  position  before  and  since  the  18th  July,  1870, 
and  I  wish  that  more  of  us  could  see  and  recognise  that  difference. 
I  think  that  my  friend,  the  Abbe  Michaud,  whom  I  first  knew  in 
Paris,  while  the  Council  was  still  sitting,  obtained  a  definition  than 
which  none  could  be  clearer  when  he  put  to  the  late  Mgr.  Guibert, 
Archbishop  of  Paris,  the  distinct  questions- — -Whether  the  faithful, 
who  might  declare  that  they  could  not  conscientiously  accept  the 
Vatican  Council,  might  be  admitted  to  the  sacraments'?  and  whether 
priests,  who  were  similarly  unable  to  accept  the  Council,  might 
continue  to  say  mass  in  the  Archdiocese  of  Paris'?  On  receiving  a 
categorical  reply  in  the  negative  on  all  the  points  submitted, 
M.  Michaud  resigned  his  charge  at  the  Madeleine.  The  same 
doctrine  which  was  embodied  in  the  official  reply  of  the  Archbishop 
of  Paris  to  the  Abbe  Michaud  is  necessarily  the  doctrine  of  all  diocesan 
authorities  in  communion  with  Pome.  It  is  therefore  necessary  for 
all  persons  desiring  to  maintain  the  spiritual  life  in  communion  with 
Rome  to  be  ready  to  profess  their  acceptance  of  the  Vatican  Council. 
But  in  Italy,  as  in  Germany  and  Switzerland,  and  other  countries  of 
Europe,  very  few  accept  in  their  hearts  what  they  profess  with  their 
lips.  It  is  to  remedy  this  great  evil,  the  evil  against  which  Dr.  Von 
Dollinger  protested  when  he  said  that  he  could  not  go  down  into  the 
grave  with  a  lie  in  his  right  hand,  that  Count  Campello  is  working  in 
Italy,  and  that  one  of  his  brother  clergy  proposes  to  work  among  the 
Italians  in  London. 

The  Bishops  of   the  Church  of  England  are  alive  to  this  spiritual 


246  Appendices. 

difficulty  of  the  Italians,  both  in  their  own  country  and  in  our  land, 
and  are  willing  to  help  the  movement.  Those  who  value  the 
maintenance  of  the  truth,  and  who  desire  that  a  lie  should  not  be 
imposed  as  a  condition  of  obtaining  the  means  of  grace,  will  surely 
support  the  movement  also.  Those  who  value  the  principles  of  a 
vernacular  Bible  and  a  vernacular  worship,  will  surely  help  the 
Italians.  Those  who  value  the  administration  of  the  chalice  to  the 
laity  will  surely  support  the  clergy  who,  with  Count  Campello,  are 
ready  to  administer  it  both  in  Italy  and  in  England.  These 
principles  are  old,  not  new;  they  have  long  been  held  by  Italians. 
What  Italian  clergy  and  laity  have  long  desired  is  now  being  carried 
out.  "The  souls  of  the  faithful,"  a  cardinal  wrote  to  a  pope  several 
centuries  ago,  "are  the  true  patrimony  of  St.  Peter."  Those  words  of 
Cardinal  Julian  to  Pope  Eugenius  IV.  are  as  true  to-day  as  they  were 
four  hundred  years  ago.  I  ask  the  sympathy  of  the  Conference  for 
those  who  are  going  forth,  under  great  difficulties  and  trials,  to  tend 
the  scattered  sheep,  and  to  save  the  souls  of  the  faithful  for  whom 
Christ  died.  C.  H.  E.  Carmichael,  M.A. 

96,  Eaton  Terrace,  S.W. 

Postscript. — "Numquid  indiget  Deus  mendacio  vestro1?"  was  the 
sorrowing  cry  of  the  late  Father  Gratry — Doth  God  need  your  lie? 
"  Nay,"  was  his  answer,  with  others  who  sorrowed  with  him,  "  God 
doth  not  need  your  lie,  neither  doth  the  Church."  On  this  ground 
it  was  decided,  before  Count  Campello  returned  to  Italy  to  open  a 
mission  in  Umbria,  that  one  of  his  brother  clergy,  resident  in  London, 
should  oiler  the  same  means  of  grace  to  Italians  in  this  country  as  Count 
Campello  oilers  them  in  their  own  land.  To  this  twofold  work  of  reform 
I  would  invite  the  attention  and  the  sympathy  of  the  Conference,  as 
a  work  of  building  up  the  faith  among  those  who  are  in  danger  of 
losing  it  through  demands  which  they  cannot  conscientiously  admit. 
To  those  who  do  not  believe  in  the  doctrine  of  the  Vatican  Council, 
and  they  are  many  throughout  the  continent  of  Europe,  it  cannot  but 
be  most  hurtful,  most  perilous,  that  they  should  be  obliged  to  make  an 
outward  profession  of  belief.  From  this  "school  of  error"  (as  Father 
Gratry  called  it)  it  is  much  to  be  desired  that  they  should  be  saved. 

[  F] 

SAVOY. 

Savoy  is  a  department  of  France  which  has  a  population  of  about  five 
hundred  thousand.  The  country  is  most  beautiful,  especially  the 
neighbourhood  of  Chamonix ;  but,  alas  !  Komanism,  with  its 
accompanying  ignorance  and  superstition,  reigns  supreme.  Hero 
and  there  a  few  Protestants  are  to  be  met  with;  but  where  there 
is  not  real  spiritual  life,  their  example  is  a  stumbling-block  to  the 
progress  of  the  gospel. 

At  present  there  is  little  or  no  facility  for  public  meetings,  such  as 
those  of  the  McAll  Mission  of  Paris,  or  the  Favre  Mission  of  Geneva. 
What,  is  needed  is  consistent,  Christian  life,  and  a  quiet  work  of 
evangelization  by  means  of  conversation  and  visitation,  &c,  as 
opportunity  arises.  No  doubt  Christian  commerce  would  also  bo 
an  important  factor  in  a  work  of  evangelization,  if  tradesmen  fully 


Spain.  247 

consecrated  to  God  were  forthcoming,  and  had  sufficient  means  at 
their  disposal  to  establish  themselves  in  business. 

An  invitation  is  therefore  earnestly  given  to  all  whole-hearted 
Christians,  who,  willing  to  place  themselves,  their  giits  for  work,  and 
their  property,  entirely  at  the  Lord's  disposal,  will  offer  to  reside  at 
least  for  some  months  in  some  of  the  towns  and  villages  in  this 
important  field  of  labour.  We  think,  however,  that  they  ought  to  be 
placed,  if  possible,  in  groups  of  not  less  than  two,  three,  or  four 
together,  and  that  an  arrangement  should  be  made  by  which  at  least 
some  of  these  groups  would  be  able  to  meet  from  time  to  time  in  one 
common  convenient  centre.  Christians  could  dwell  together  in  the 
same  house,  or  in  different  dwellings,  and  work  cpuietly  in  the 
neighbouring  towns  or  villages. 

Wealthy  Christians  too,  unable  from  various  causes  to  reside  in 
Savoy,  might  be  able  to  help  tradespeople  to  set  up  in  business,  &c. 

Already  two  ladies  have  come  forward  for  Thouon,  on  the  shores  of 
the  lake  of  Geneva,  and  we  are  especially  anxious  to  find  suitable 
ladies  and  gentlemen  to  take  up  their  abode  in  two  or  three 
neighbouring  places,  in  which  case  Thouon  would  prove  good  head- 
quarters, where  all  might  meet  together  from  time  to  time  to  compare 
notes  and  mutually  encourage  one  another. 

In  connection  with  what  has  been  already  said  on  the  subject  of 
evangelization  in  Savoy,  an  earnest  appeal  is  made  to  all  Christians 
who  are  contemplating  a  change  of  residence,  either  by  building  or 
leasing,  to  prayerfully  consider  whether  it  may  not  be  the  will  of  the 
Lord  that  they  should  settle  in  some  of  the  towns  or  villages  of 
Savoy,  in  order,  by  their  consistent  Christian  life,  to  manifest  the 
power  and  beauty  of  the  gospel  amongst  those  over  whom  they  would 
necessarily  have  more  or  less  influence,  as  also  to  encourage  and  help, 
in  any  way  they  might  be  able,  Christian  evangelists  in  their  neigh- 
bourhood. 

There  are  excellent  educational  advantages  at  hand,  either  at 
Geneva  or  Lausanne. 

Our  Lord  is  coming  again,  and  if  the  world  is  to  be  really 
evangelized,  it  is  more  than  time  that  Christians  of  all  classes  should 
realize  the  necessity  of  leaving  the  more  gospel-favoured  countries  for 
places  still  under  the  power  of  darkness,  ignorance,  and  superstition. 

Pastors  and  evangelists  are  not  sufficient ;  we  need  also  private 
families,  whose  vital  testimony  for  Christ  would  be  most  valuable  in 
furthering  and  encouraging  gospel  work. 

Further  information  will  be  gladly  given  by  Mr.  B.  Greene,  Hotel 
Faucon,  Lausanne,  Switzerland,  to  whom  all  communications  may  be 
addressed. 

[G] 

SPAIN.  October  1st,  1886. 

To  the  Lord's  people  assembled  in  London  to  consider  the  claims  of 
a  perishing  world  upon  those  to  whom  God  has  committed  the  word 
of  reconciliation. 

Beloved  in  Christ, — How  blessed,  how  holy  to  be  gathered 
together  to  meditate  on  the  Eedeemer's  words,  "Pray  ye,"  "Go  ye," 
with  obedient  ears  and  hearts !     May  your  three  days'  waiting  lead 


248  -Ap'i 

you  into  fuller  participation  of  His  grace,  who  for  our  sakes  became 
poor  that  we  might  be  made  rich,  and  result  in  wonderful  ingatherings 

to  the  church  from  among  Jews  and  Gentiles. 

I  ask  your  indulgence  for  a  few  moments,  wbile  I  lay  before  you 
the  -real  need  of  Spain.  Witbin  three  or  lour  days'  travel  from 
where  you  are  now  assembled,  there  are  sixteen  millions  of  warm- 
hearted, intelligent  people,  nominally  Roman  Catholics,  but  in  general 
altogether  indifferent.  Their  language  is  rich  and  beautiful,  and  not 
very  difficult  to  acquire.  Eighteen  years  ago  the  twenty-ninth  of  last 
month,  God  cut  the  bars  of  iron  and  brass  asunder,  that  for  ages 
had  excluded  the  gospel,  and  threw  open  the  country  for  the  entrance 
of  His  Word  that  giveth  light.  In  cities,  towns,  and  villages, 
"Christ  and  Him  crucified"  is  preached,  and  everywhere  with  fruit; 
but  though  this  is  the  case  in  more  than  a  hundred  places,  and  there 
are  congregations  of  converted  men  and  women,  and  schools  full  of 
children,  and  the  scriptures  and  religious  tracts  are  widely  scattered, 
what  is  this  among  so  many  1  Must  millions  die  in  their  sins  to-day, 
when  so  many  highly-favoured  Englishmen  and  women  might  easily 
come  over  and  help  them'?  Shall  a  nation,  so  long  sitting  in  darkness 
and  in  the  shadow  of  death,  perish  for  lack  of  knowledge,  within 
seventy-two  hours'  journey  of  the  most  highly-privileged  believers  on 
earth  ]  All  Spain  is  open  to  you.  There  is  room  for  every  gift — 
room  for  men,  room  for  women. 

You  will  pardon  me  for  speaking  of  the  work  under  my  own 
direction — the  mission  of  Chamberi,  the  populous  northern  district  of 
Madrid.  We  have  lived  down  prejudices;  and  hetween  three  and  four 
thousand  children  have  passed  through  our  schools,  which  to-day  are 
fuller  than  ever.  It  is  easy  and  pleasant  to  visit  the  children's 
homes,  and  evangelize  their  families.  The  whole  district  is  before 
lls  —  I  may  say  is  ours,  if  we  can  only  work  it.  Are  there 
not  among  you  men  and  women  ready  to  come  to  the  help  of  the 
Lord  against  the  mighty — ready  to  consecrate  their  lives  and  talents 
and  substance  to  the  Lord? 

It  is  of  very  great  importance  that  suitable  mission  premises  should 
be  secured.  If  any  arc  led  to  help  to  obtain  them,  will  they  kindly 
communicate  with  E.  C.  Morgan,  Esq.,  of  The  Christian,  who,  with 
bis  son,  visited  us  in  the  spring  of  this  year,  and  will  gladly  give 
any  information  respecting  the  mission  and  its  needs.  We  have  no 
funds  so  as  to  be  able  to  offer  salaries;  we  and  the  work  depend, 
from  day  to  day,  upon  the  living  Cod  for  everything;  and  in  writing 
this  letter,  wo  keep  this  before  us,  asking  Him  to  call,  and  to  send, 
and  to  supply  as  He  sees  best.  I  will  only  add  that  the  work  is  as 
undenominational  as  it  is  possible  to  be,  and  any  devoted  brother  or 
sister,  sound  in  the  faith,  and  in  other  respects  suitable,  will  be  most 
heartily  welcomed. 

Ere  the  Lord  comes,  shall  we  not  work  by  every  means— by  the 
life,  the  Lips,  the  press— to  gather  out  from  the  once  cruel,  fanatical 
land  of  the  hellish  inquisition,  hut  now  open  and  to  a  great  extent 
willing  country,  a  people  for  the  Lord? 

Yours  in  Christ  Jesus  the  Lord, 

Albert  R.  Fenn. 

Cardcnal  C'isncros,  55,  Madrid,  A, 


Havre.  249 

[H  ] 

HAVEE. 

As  the  Conference  for  missionary  work  is  so  soon  to  take  place, 
I  cannot  resist  writing  to  you  on  the  subject  of  Havre  and  its  needs. 
I  do  not  know  whether  it  would  come  within  the  scope  of  what  is 
the  immediate  object  of  the  Conference;  but  still  I  must  write  to  you 
about  it,  in  case  you  should  have  an  opportunity  of  bringing  the 
subject  before  God's  people. 

I  have  been  over  there  this  week,  staying  in  the  Sailors'  Home,  to 
help  in  our  first  effort  for  direct  mission  work  among  our  sailors  in  and 
out  of  the  Home.  I  knew  that  Havre  had  a  very  bad  name,  and 
I  had  also  seen  and  heard  a  little,  when  over  there  last  year  to  settle 
all  the  temporal  needs  of  the  Home;  but  now  all  that  is  settled, 
we  are  anxious  to  use  our  Mission  Room  every  evening  for  English 
gospel  work  among  our  sailors.  A  dear  Christian  policeman  from 
Kensington  came  over  for  his  holiday,  and  took  six  nights'  preaching 
there.  He  went  in  and  out  among  the  sailors  in  the  streets,  in  the 
cafes,  and  on  board  their  ships,  and  was  appalled  at  the  evil.  He  has 
been  nineteen  years  in  the  Metropolitan  Police,  and  ten  years  in  the 
Royal  Navy.  Till  five  years  ago,  he  was  one  who  always  was  to  be 
found  in  every  haunt  of  wickedness.  His  testimony  about  Havre  is, 
that  he  never  came  across  such  a  place ;  and  that  in  all  his  varied 
experiences  he  has  never  beheld  'such  scenes  as  he  has  done  at  Havre. 
A  detective  also,  who  has  now  been  over  at  Havre  for  the  last 
five  months,  and  whose  beat  when  in  London  was  in  the  "  New 
Cut,"  says  the  "  New  Cut "  is  nothing  in  comparison  to  the  wicked- 
ness of  Havre.  What  to  me  makes  all  this  doubly  sad  is,  that 
Englishmen  do  so  much  towards  furthering  this  iniquity.  Every 
sort  of  person — man  or  woman — is  employed  to  drag  the  poor  sailors 
down  to  ruin;  and  what  are  God's  people  doing  to  try  to  save  them'? 
I  think  I  may  almost  say,  "  Nothing  ! "  There  is  an  English  Wesleyan 
Chapel;  but  they  have  no  agency  for  reaching  the  sailors,  and  confess 
they  cannot  do  it.  We  have  our  Sailors'  Home ;  but  the  business 
part  takes  so  much  time,  that  it  is  impossible  to  go  out  and  fish 
in  the  men  ;  and  also  there  are  many  reasons  which  make  it  very 
difficult  for  the  manager  to  act  also  as  evangelist.  Then  what  are  we 
to  do?  I  have  written  to  Captain  Smith,  and  he  says  the  Evangeli- 
zation Society  is  confined  to  England.  I  hope  to  write  to  Mr. 
Spurgeon,  and  ask  if  he  has  any  evangelist  he  can  send.  No  ordinary 
man  will  do.  It  must  be  a  man  who  will  understand  the  sailors,  and 
go  in  and  out  among  them  in  their  haunts  during  the  non-preaching 
hours.  Men  come  off  deep-sea  voyages  of  two  and  three  years,  and  the 
ship  is  boarded — as  one  was  last  Thursday — by  thirty-six  crimps ! 
Our  one  Sailors'  Home  runner  went  also  on  board.  He  got  fifteen  out 
of  the  crew  of  twenty  to  promise  to  come,  but  ten  were  decoyed 
away  by  crimps.  Five  came,  four  of  whom  came  to  the  meeting  after 
they  had  washed  and  dressed  ;  but  when  they  came  out  of  the  mess- 
room  they  were  waylaid  by  crimps,  and  were  out  all  night,  probably 
led  into  every  vile  place,  and  money  advanced  to  them  to  any  amount. 
Oh,  if  only  some  of  God's  people  would  come  over  and  live  in  the 


250  Appendices. 

Home,  they  would  see  that  twelve  hours  from  London  they  can  find  a 
power  of  darkness  which  is  almost  unknown  in  heathen  lands, 
and  which  up  to  the  present  time  has  never  been  enlightened  by  the 
gospel!  It  is  a  work  where  loving,  strong  men  could  do  much  good, 
and  also  experienced  ladies.  The  "lire-water"  maddens  the  poor 
fellows,  and  the  scenes  even  among  the  sailors  in  the  Home  are 
awful.  The  police  had  to  be  called  in  one  night  when  I  was  there ; 
but  God  answered  prayer,  and  before  they  got  to  the  man  he  was 
quiet,  and  went  to  bed  like  a  lamb,  having  ten  minutes  before  vowed 
he  would  revenge  himself  on  a  fellow-boarder. 

If  we  could  get  some  middle-age  1  lady  and  also  men  to  come  over 
for  even  a  fortnight  at  a  time  during  the  coming  season,  when  so 
many  sailing  ships  will  be  coming  in  from  America,  it  would,  with 
God's  blessing,  be  of  such  infinite  good.  The  dear  managers,  the 
Hermans,  would  also  be  so  refreshed.  They  go  on  month  after 
month,  surrounded  with  this  hideous  wickedness;  and  any  visit  from 
a  Christian  brother  or  sister  is  like  waters  on  a  parched  land.  I  shall 
be  very  glad  to  help  in  any  expense  that  cannot  be  defrayed.  If  any 
lady  came,  she  could  have  my  room,  if  I  am  not  there.  There 
is  also  another  room,  which  any  evangelist  could  have.  It  is  so  much 
better  to  be  in  the  Home,  and  then  you  can  get  at  the  poor  drunkards 
better  than  in  the  streets.  I  would  gladly  go  over  and  stay  there 
myself;  but  I  have  not  had  any  real  rest  this  year,  and  so  am 
scarcely  able  to  do  more  than  a  little  every  week  from  here.  This  is 
quite  a  little  heaven  when  one  returns  -from  Havre.  In  the  meantime, 
till  God  sends  us  some  more  of  His  children  to  attack  the  stronghold, 
may  I  ask  much  prayer  that  the  power  of  God  may  be  made 
manifest  in  the  Home,  in  quelling  the  awful  power  of  Satan, 
and  keeping  the  men  away  from  drink1?  It  really  is  beyond  all 
human  power.  The  crimps  catch  our  men,  make  them  drunk, 
and  send  them  back  in  the  hope  that  they  will  kick  up  a  row, 
and  bring  discredit  on  the  Home.  Prayer,  and  prayer  only,  will 
conquer  the  evil.      Let  us  also  ask  prayer  for  the  crimps  themselves. 

Excuse  my  long  letter,  but  my  heart  is  stirred  to  the  depth  for 
this  overlooked  dark  corner,  so  near  our  own  country,  with  thousands 
of  our  own  seamen.  We  have  had  the  Home  opened  just  one  year 
yesterday.  Seven  hundred  seamen  have  passed  through  it,  and 
nearly  £3000  of  their  money  sent  home  during  that  time.  This  is  a 
cause  of  praise  in  the  midst  of  so  much  that  is  sad.  '•The  best," 
here  also  we  can  abundantly  praise,  for  sailors  come  up  well  every 
evening,  and  many  attend  the  meetings  which  we  have  every 
evening;  and,  thank  God,  many  go  away  new  creatures.  I  shall 
(D.V.)  remain  here  till  the  second  week  in  November. 
Believe  me,  yours  very  truly, 

Caroline  S.  H.  Beauohamp. 

Sailors   Best,  Ebnfli  ur,  /■', 


LONDON  : 
JOHN    !•'.    SHAW    AND    CO.,    40,    PATERNOSTER    NOW. 


GLAPHAM  MISSIONARY  CONFERENCE, 

OCTOBER  27th,  28th,  J  886. 


fHIIE  President,  Mr.  Reginald  Radcliffe,  opened  the  meetings  with 
X  precious  remarks  upon  prayer.  An  address,  by  the  Rev.  John 
Walton,  about  work  in  South  Africa,  was  of  thrilling  interest.  He 
condemned  the  sale  of  brandy  to  the  natives,  with  the  connivance  of 
our  Government.  No  duties  being  laid  on  it,  the  cost  is  only  9d.  a 
bottle.  One  Kaffir,  of  wealth  and  education,  at  a  meeting  of  Christian 
natives,  showed  a  £100  note,  pointed  to  his  flocks  and  herds,  and  cottage 
and  fields.  "I  shall,"  he  said,  "swallow  all  these,  and  then  die,  if  this 
brandy  be  sold  here." 

The  Rev.  F.  C.  Meyer  urged  his  hearers  to  practical  efforts  immediately, 
warning  them  of  their  individual  responsibility. 

In  the  afternoon  Sir  John  Kennaway  presided,  and  several  Jewish 
Missionaries  spoke.  Dr.  Thomas  Chaplin,  the  Rev.  J.  Eppstein,  and 
the  Rev.  Isaac  Levinsohn,  gave  interesting  accounts  of  Medical  Missions 
in  Jerusalem,  and  of  conversions  among  Jews  in  London,  150  of  whom 
recently  attended  a  meeting  of  the  Hebrew  Christian  Prayer  Union. 

The  morning  of  the  second  day  was  devoted  to  the  consideration  of 
Women's  Work  abroad. 

Mrs.  Mentor  Mott,  of  the  British  Syrian  Schools,  was  on  the  platform, 
and  at  the  close  spoke  a  few  earnest  words,  noting  specially  the  aid  she 
received  from  two  ladies  of  Mrs.  Meredith's  Association,  who  joined  her 
three  years  ago,  and  are  zealous  labourers  among  the  little  ones  of  the 
Holy  Land. 

Miss  Thompson  gave  an  account  of  the  school  connected  with  Mrs. 
Mentor  Mott's  Society.  Miss  Baumann,  of  the  I.F.N.S.,  spoke  specially 
of  the  Indian  work  at  Lucknow.  Both  she  and  Miss  Thompson  pressed 
earnestly  for  workers.  Ladies  of  education  and  spiritual  power  are 
invited  to  go  out  to  these  Missions.  Some  news  of  European  work  was 
given  by  Mrs.  Gardner  James,  Y.W.C.A. 

The  urgent  appeals  were  all  for  labourers  :  "  Pray  ye  therefore  the  Lord 
of  the  harvest,  that  He  would  send  forth  lahourers  into  His  harvest." 

The  Rev.  B.  Latrobe  and  H.  Mahony,  Esq.,  pleaded  for  North  and 
South  America  in  the  afternoon ;  and  the  Revs.  H.  M.  Hackett  and 
C.  Warren  for  India  and  Japan  in  the  evening. 

For  the  use  of  the  CLAPHAM  CONFERENCE  HALL,  apply  to 
Mrs.  MEREDITH,  143,  Clapham  Road,  S.W. 


Jlacicti)  (ax  ^rmnoimg  Jfcmalc  (fckcatimt 

IN    THE    EAST. 


■jprrstflrnt. 

THE  MARCHIONESS   OF  AILSA. 

CViMSUVfV. 
Sat  W.  R.  FARQTJIIAR,  Bart.,   1G,  St.  James's  Street,  "Westminster,  S.W. 

iSanfcera. 

Messes.  HERRIES,  FARQUHAR,  ic  Co.,  16,  St.  James's  Street,  Westminster,  S.W. 

^onorarg  Scrretavt'rs. 

Miss   ELLEN  RUTT,   Lower  Clapton,    If.E. 
Miss  L.   HOPE,   7,  Ovington  Gardens,   Brompton,   S.W. 

Sftwtarg. 

Miss  WEBB,   2G7,   Vauxhall  Bridge  Road,   S."W. 


n^HIS  Society  was  established  in  1834  for  the  purpose  of  conveying 
_L  sound  Scriptural  instruction  to  women  and  girls  of  all  classes  in  Asia 
and  in  Africa,  either  in  their  own  secluded  homes,  or  in  schools.  There 
are  now  employed  under  its  auspices  thirty-nine  European  and  about  300 
native  teachers,  almost  all  the  latter  having  been  trained  in  its  schools; 
380  schools,  containing  upwards  of  20,01)0  children,  are  in  connexion 
with  the  Society.  The  number  of  Zenanas  open  to  its  teachers  is  about 
250,  containing  more  than  2000  pupils. 

The  aim  of  the  Missionary  teachers  sent  forth  by  this  Committee  is 
fourfold  :  First,  to  point  their  pupils  to  "the  Lamb  of  God,  which  taketh 
away  the  sin  of  the  world;"  second,  to  enable  each  of  them  to  read 
the  IUble  for  herself,  in  her  own  tongue;  third,  to  impart  to  them  all 
other  useful  knowledge  which  circumstances  may  render  advisable;  and 
fourth,  to  train  native  agents  to  carry  on  the  work. 

The  sphere  of  the  Society's  operations  includes  India,  China,  Japan, 
the  Straits  Settlements,  Ceylon,  the  Turkish  Empire,  South  and  West 
Africa,,  and  Persia.  In  India  Zenana  work  was  very  early  attempted  by 
its  Missionaries.  The  first  teachers  sent  by  an  English  Committee  to 
Hindoo  and  to  Mohammedan  Zenanas  were  those  of  this  Society,  whose 
Missionaries  now  carry  on  six  Zenana  Missions  at  dill'ereht  stations. 
Boarding,  Day,  and  Infant  Schools,  and  Orphanages  in  India,  are  also 
maintained,  superintended  or  assisted  by  the  Society,  as  well  as  Training 
Classes  for  native  women. 

Earnestly  do  the  Committee  appeal  to  such  as  have  found  the  Saviour 
precious  to  their  own  souls  to  aid  in  making  Him  known  to  those  who 
are  now  sitting  in  darkle  ,  by  strengthening  by  their  prayers  t lie 

hands  of  those  at  work  ;  and,  secondly,  by  contributing  of  their  substance 
for  the  maintenance   and  exl  oi   the  work  itself — 

"  JRot  i0nttitrin<rli>,  noi  of  nccccoitu ;  for  (J5oto  louctf)  a  djmful  tjtucr." 


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